


Three is a Magic Number (WIP)

by FireOpal (Raven_At_The_Writing_Desk), Raven_At_The_Writing_Desk



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Slavery, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:07:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 37,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23255194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_At_The_Writing_Desk/pseuds/FireOpal, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_At_The_Writing_Desk/pseuds/Raven_At_The_Writing_Desk
Summary: This is a big old fic I wrote a while ago and then completely forgot about. So here you go. There are some elements of other fics I have read in here, mostly from Run_Ravager_Run and RedRarebit. Please also read their fics, they are amazing.
Relationships: Kraglin Obfonteri & Original Character(s), Kraglin Obfonteri/Yondu Udonta, Yondu Udonta/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

Abby heard the men storming onto the ship, their magnetized boots clacking on the grated metal of the passages. She pressed herself against the riveted walls, clutching the knife in her hands, trying to breathe through the pain of the stab wound in her side. She prayed, to no deity in particular, that they would just walk past her, leave her alone. But she could hear their com-link chatter. They were systematically clearing the ship, hold by hold, and it wasn't a large ship.

She heard when they discovered the four dead bodies. She listened when they found the other four crew of the ship and were given orders to take them captive. She puzzled over who would do that, and why. More though, she tried to think of where she could hide and how much blood she was losing. 

Finally, the inevitable happened, and the door of her hold slid open. Three men moved in carefully. They activated the lights and took a moment to note and identify the cargo crates. Then one of them spotted her. 

"Kraglin, we've a live one." A pale man with white dreadlocks called out. He pointed her out, and the tallest of the men turned. He was lanky and scraggly, his nose too long for his face, his eyes were hard and piercing, and his bared pointed teeth were metal-capped. When he saw her, he paused, his expression changing from one prepared to kill, to evaluation. He looked her over, taking in her simple smock, now splotched with blood, and her shaking hold on her knife. He tapped his com-link. 

"Ah, Captain?" He said as the other two men began to encircle her. She shifted her attention to the thick-bodied, pink-skinned man, with his greasy hair and bushy chin. He looked like he was most likely to come at her first.

"What?" a voice snarled from the com. 

Abby listened as the tall, lanky man in crimson leathers spoke to who his Capitan, and watched the other two men, similarly dressed in crimson colors. "We found a second one on board. This one's alive."

"Another slave?" The tone of the captain's voice didn't sound comforting. It fired her determination to get away from this group. 

She kept her head low and tracked the movements of the men, they were getting closer, a bit more and they'd be in striking distance. She wished she was in better condition, not wounded and bleeding. She shifted her grip in the knife, preparing. 

"A female." The Kraglin guy tracked her as he spoke.

The pale-haired man leaped at her as the pink man swooped in grabbing for her arm. She lashed out, scoring a fist to the side of the pale man's head. He leaned back, a thin line of blue appearing on his cheek. The pink man moved behind her and slammed a fist into her back. It jarred her, and she lost her grip on the knife. 

"Easy!" Krgalin shouted. 

"She started it!" the pale man wiped at his face and swore in a lyrical language she didn't know. They all stepped back from her. She was on her knees now though, the grated metal beneath her digging painfully into her kneecaps and shins. Her hands were equally scuffed from fighting, and her bare arms caked in drying blood. What hurt most was the blaster wound above her hip and the deep cut behind her right knee. She hid her grimace behind her annoyingly long black hair—the side-effect of the rejuvenator, rapid hair growth. 

New footsteps came into the room, three new sets. This new group must have been moving in trios, she noted. One pair marched up to her and stopped where she could just see the tips of the scuffed metal toes of their boots. She didn't look up, but she felt the new comer's eyes on her. They studied her for a long moment taking in her filthy smock, the blood on her skin, defining the outlines of her bones, and the few glances she peeked out around the room. Six, there were six of them now, and one was cobalt skinned. She saw the knife too; she calculated lunging for it. 

"She was in here?" the gruff voice belonged to the captain, the blue man, the Kree. 

"Yeh," The one named Kraglin said. "She was armed with a knife. Probably explains the four dead slavers." They weren't really slavers she knew, just idiot transporters, but the results were the same. Since they weren't slavers, they didn't know to keep their hands to themselves. She wondered if she'd get that chance with these six.

"What's your name, woman?" The captain tapped the steel toe of his own boot beside her hand in case she didn't understand he was talking to her. 

Abby set her jaw and refused to answer the man. She knew how to pay the silence game. The toe tapped on, and she ignored it further. The toe taped again, impatiently, and she braced for a blow. It didn't come, and a new set of boots clanked into her field of vision. She jerked when the new man grabbed her arm. He pulled her upright and shook her like a toy. The gnarled face of the new man was a livid purple. 

"Answer when the captain asks you questions," He hissed through fanged teeth. 

Abby narrowed her eyes. She pushed forward and head-butted the man as hard as she could. She braced and ignored the pain in her leg and hip, pushing off the metal floor and knocking the man's legs from out from under him. As he went down, she twisted her arms around the man's neck and tightened her hold. She bit down on her pain and strangled the man; she wasn't going back to slavery cheaply. She could feel the man behind her jerking futilely, digging at her forearms when a high pitched whistle cut the air, and she was suddenly aware of a hovering, golden arrow aimed at her head. Her eyes crossed as she looked at it. 

"I suggest you let him go," she heard the captain warn. 

She held her grip, and the arrow started to dig into her forehead, just enough to draw blood. She gasped and let go, scrambling away from the man as he gasped for air. She pushed away further, and the arrow followed. She banged against the riveted metal wall and looked through the glow of the arrow to the smirking face of the blue man. 

"Got a name, woman?" The captain asked again. 

Abby tossed her head back and moved the dirty hair from her eyes to look up at the man before her. Blue skinned and ruby eyes with a strange set of jagged teeth. The arrow hovered in front of her threating. Despite the strange color of his eye, she knew he was Kree, and therefore one of the original slavers. 

"Not for you," She spat.

The captain clenched his jaw, and she hoped he was going to kill her right there. She held his gaze, she was done being a slave, and anything was better than that. She wasn't backing down from this guy or any of them; she'd killed four slavers on her own, hadn't she? What was six more? Her vision swam as the pain in her legs dipped noticeably.

"Feeling woozy?" the captain asked, holding her eye contact, and smirking. He looked amused at the lanky man beside him, who was looking equally interested. She shook her head, not out of denial, though it worked just as well, but more because she was having a hard time focusing. She braced herself with a hand on the floor. How much blood had she lost? 

"Can't focus?" the captain teased, watching her intently. 

"I can focus long enough to kill you," She said, her words sounding thick and slow to her ears. He cocked his head to one side, and her eyesight blurred further. 

"There she goes," she heard the captain say, and then she felt the jagged points of the metal grate slam into her face. Blackness took her completely.


	2. Chapter 2

Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to open them to the dim light of the room. Slowly adjusting herself so as to avoid hurting more than she already did, she looked around the room. She didn’t quite stifle the whimpering sob as she took in the dingy mattress and the metal walls surrounding her. She couldn't bring herself to look a the metal bars that made up one wall of her cell. She’d failed, and now she was right back where she started. She covered her face and tried hard to steady her breathing again, but the hysterical sobs that threatened to burst out of her made it hard to take a proper breath. 

“I patched you up.” 

She jerked her head up to see the lanky man on the other side of the bars. He stood awkwardly, something unreadable on his face. She frowned and looked down at her injured self. The filthy sleeveless tunic that bearly covered her ass was torn, but a bandage wrapped snugly around her wound. She touched it and felt that it had been numbed and probably stabilized.

“I, uh, disinfected your face and the smaller wounds on your arms. I’m not a medic, but I know how to field-treat a person.” Abby felt her face, and sure enough, there was a series of puncture wounds under her left eye where she’d hit the grated floor. She flicked her eyes to the man then looked away when she saw his intense blue eyes on her. 

She didn’t say anything. 

“I’m Kraglin,” the man said to fill the silence. “The Captain said he’d come see you once he’s got a moment. Until then, you need to stay here.” He just gave her another intense once over and turned. The sharp response Abby had ready was useless as Kraglen walked away. 

She managed to sit up better and lean against her wall. She still felt weak, and that was why she was crying, she told herself. She closed her eyes and tried to pull some semblance of control back over herself. She listed to the sounds of the ship, a new ship, slowly gliding its way through space, going who knew where. 

To clam down, she sent her mind back to the hazy memories of hot sunny hayfields of clover and sweetgrass. The buzz of insects, the slow moo of cows, and the wicker of horses. She focused her mind on that pristine place she could bearly recall clearly, and managed to pull herself together. She’d even begun to drift off when the clack of the cell door snapped her back to the metallic hell she’d been in for the past thirty or more years. 

She felt him standing there, and as slowly as she could, she opened her eyes, glaring up at him from her position on the dingy mattress. He stood, one hand on his hip, holding his coat back, showing the holstered arrow. The threat was clear, and she managed to look bored and unimpressed. He cracked a crooked smile at her.

“I was wonder’n’ what to do about you,” he drawled, sounding all the world like her uncle back home. She felt a hard lump form in her chest. She ignored it. He eyed her carefully and moved just a bit closer. She said nothing to him as he purposefully leered at her, almost overdoing it, she thought. “Maybe we should keep you around? Fun times for my men?”

That snapped her control; she was done with that, done with the men and done being used. She lunged forward, faster than the man expected. She put her shoulder into his chest and staggered him, but didn’t topple him. She was still weak from blood-loss. Her mind screamed as he felt his hands close on her arms. He gave a low growling chuckle, and he shoved her off him, then tossed her effortlessly on the mattress again. She laid painting and snarling at him. He was really grinning now as if all this was funny. 

“Can’t keep a useless woman on board, even if you are easy on the eyes. You gotta earn your keep if you want to stay.” He paced before her, swaggering as he did so. “You’d make a fine distraction, hell, I bet you could even steal a few trinkets on your own.”

If she wanted to stay? What did he mean? She just watched him pace, silently evaluating her chances.

“Well? You want to stay here or not?” He said, stopping and looking at her with a slight tilt to his head. She blinked at him, her snarl fading as she registered what he’d asked. 

“You’ll let me stay if I help you steal things?” She said.

“Surely you’ve stolen things before,” the Captain asked. Sure she had, food, blankets, medicine. She nodded slowly; maybe he was trying to trap her; he was a Kree after all. He grinned lopsidedly.

“That your clumsy handy-work back on the slaver ship?” he asked. Abby glared at him again, it might have been sloppy, but it had worked.

“Fuck you,” she said, and he laughed a sharp horse laugh, like a rusty hinge. He pulled what looked like a shriveled bit of leather from his pocket and held it out to her. She locked her eyes on it, knowing jerky when she saw, and smelt it. Her stomach growled audibly, and she looked away ashamed. 

He knelt down to her level, still holding the jerky out to her, grinning his jagged smile. 

“I’m not a fucking dog,” She hissed at him. 

“More like a hellcat,” he said. “I’ve got a bargain to make with you.”

She couldn’t stop herself from looking at the dried meat in his hand. Idiotically she was calculating if she could knock him out and take it. 

“You steal for me, and we’ll figure a way to get that collar off you.” He said. Her eyes snapped up to his, and despite the feral grin, he was giving her, there was something much softer in his eyes. She gave him a confused look. His grin dimmed. “The foods just for eating,” he said softer. “Just take the damn thing.” He waggled it at her again, and she took it with a trembling hand. 

She hated that she was trembling or that her mouth was watering. With immense effort, she forced herself to bite and chew the jerky completely before swallowing. She wasn’t about to shame herself further by wolfing down the small scrap of meat. 

He watched her eat, and the look he gave her wasn’t pity. It was more like he remembered something; then she saw his eyes had drifted from her face to her collar. Reflexively she moved her hand up to it, and the movement drew his eyes back to her face. 

“You can get it off?” She asked. Kree slave collars were the hardest to get out of. She’d had this particular one for almost five years now, after she’d sawed her way out of the last one, almost cutting her own artery in the process. 

“Yup,” He said.

“And all you want is for me to help you steal?” Her voice trembled. She stopped and cleared her throat. 

“Yup,” He said. His grin returning. “act as a decoy or such, when needed.”

“I’ll kill anyone who tries to touch me,” she snarled. “I’m not a fuck toy.” Anymore. She thought

The blue man laughed again. “Darling, you’re gonna have to get used to being touched. It’s just what happens. But if you want to gut someone for trying to force themselves on you, I’ll give you the knife myself.” She locked eyes with him and shivered. The memory of killing the men still fresh in her mind, still thrilling in its own way. He nodded then as if understanding something she hadn’t said. He stood up quickly and turned as he did so. 

“Kraglin,” He snapped, and the skinny man appeared outside the cell. “Get her cleaned up and clothed. Feed her properly too. We’ll be on Freron soon.” He didn’t look back as he walked out of the cell, leaving the door wide open.


	3. Chapter 3

Kraglin poked into the cell and looked down at her. 

“Can you walk on your own?” He asked his eyes boring into her, making it clear he didn’t think she could. “I can help?” She felt a fresh wave of resentment that she pulled on for strength. 

“I can walk,” She lied. It took a few tries, but she managed to get to her feet and take a few staggering steps towards the cell door. Saying nothing, Kraglin started to slowly lead the way from the cell down the metal halls. She clung to walls, using them to guide her and allowing her to lean. She refused any help he offered, even after her leg gave out, and she almost fell. When she stumbled the second time and almost wound up on her knees, he just sighed and swung one of her arms over his shoulder, pulling her uninjured hip against his own and walking her the rest of the way.

“You don’t have to be so stubborn,” He grumbled as he leads her to the communal showers. She stiffened as she realized where she was. The pits had similar set-ups, and those sent to service the showers were often roughly used. Anticipation made her pulse spike, and Kraglin noticed it. “No ones in there. It’s just you and me,” He said almost soothingly. “S’my orders.”

“Why?” She asked as Kraglin lowered her to a dressing bench in the outer locker room. Kraglin shrugged. 

“You’re not the first recovered slave we’ve worked with,” Kraglin said. “Think you can manage the shower by yourself? I’ll go rummage up some clothing for you.” He pointed to the stall with his chin. Abby nodded. He’d sat her close to it, so she didn’t have to walk far. 

He gave her a nod and left her there. She looked around the smelly room. The lockers were old, the metal dented and scuffed, but no rust discolored them. It smelled musty as well, but more like unwashed clothing left in lockers too long than mold or mildew. The place looked outdated, but not unkempt; she wondered where she was exactly and who these people were, why would they take a slave and promise to free them? Why care for her, patch her up? Why go through the charade of the cell only to bring her to an actual shower to bath, and then bring her clothes? Or was there something under all this. Was he, Kraglin, brining her another slave smock and the Kree captain simply building her up so her dismay would be so much more enjoyable later. It wouldn’t be the first time her masters had played a cruel game like that with herself and others. 

Stealing herself, she stood and limped to the stall. Whatever was coming, she’d feel better clean.

It only took a moment to figure out how the shower worked, and blissfully hot water poured over her. She peeled off the remains of the tunic she’d worn and tossed it unceremoniously in a heap outside the stall. She braced herself as best she could in the small stall, fidgeting with a wall dispenser of something that smelled and lathered like soap. She rubbed her whole body down and washed her hair twice. Then she just sat and let the water beat down on her, slowly drifting off. 

***

She was cold and wet when she came too. Kraglin was shaking her urgently, and a ruff towel was all that was covering her. 

“I told you not to leave her alone,” the gruff voice of the captain said somewhere outside of her vision. 

“I thought she’d want privacy, to, you know,” Kraglin drifted off as she blinked the water from her eyes and looked around. Panic seized her, and she kicked out with her good leg. It connected with Kraglin’s shoulder and sent the man back on his ass. She scrambled away, kicking out again and clutching the towel to her like a shield. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” She managed, struggling to cover herself and move away from them. Kraglin picked himself up, letting out a loud breath. He rubbed his shoulder and made no move to get closer to her.

“I got you some clothes,” Kraglin said, pointing to the dressing bench above her head. She rolled her head to see and looked up at the irritated face of the blue captain. 

“Feeling better?” He said. She blinked but still said nothing. His expression darkened. “Get dressed and fucking feed her, Kraglin!” He stormed out of the shower room. 

“Shit, you scared me,” Kraglin said. Abby managed to sit up and pull the towel over her better. “Ok, I’m just going to stand over there with my back to you. Just keep talking to me.”

“What do you want me say?” She asked as e did what he asked. She began to dry herself off and dragged herself up on the bench. 

“Well, what’s your name?” He asked. 

“Abigale,” she said. “Abigale Harris.” She rubbed her injured leg gingerly, seeing that the bandages we still secure. “People used to call me Abby, but that was back on Earth.” She held to that memory, many simply forgot their names, but she was stubborn. She wouldn’t use the names she’d been given as she’d been passed around her many masters. Those weren’t real names. 

“You want me to call you, Abby?” Kraglin asked. She didn’t say anything for a long moment as she thought that over. Instead, she pulled the lavender shirt over her head; it had some sort of symbols on it she guessed were writing, and a neon green cat-like animal looking far too happy to be on her shirt. He’d brought her lose fitting, dark maroon, pants that cuffed tightly at her ankle. She’d begun to pull those on when he turned around.

“Abby?” He asked sharply, then blinked as he saw she was pulling her pants up. She glared at him and defiantly buttoned them in place. 

“You didn’t bring me any underwear,” She said. He shook his head, a slight flush on his face. 

“After you eat, you can go through the storage crates. We’ve got all kinds of stuff in there,” He said. 

At the mention of food, her stomach growled again, and she deflated a little. 

“Don’t worry,” He said with a toothy grin. “I’m plenty hungry myself.”


	4. Chapter 4

She didn’t let him carry her this time. Instead, she found hunger motivated her to limp to the cafeteria on her own. There were a few other crew members there, chewing and drinking, and playing cards or something at their tables. They looked up as Kraglin gestured for Abby to sit down. He went to collect two trays of food and brought them back to her. 

Abby did her best not to look at the other crew. She could feel their eyes on her, and she fought not to shiver. All she wanted was to vanish. 

Kraglin sat the food down and put two bottles of something neon green beside the food boxes. The smell of something warm and savory tickled her nose, and her stomach growled again. She opened the box to see a plate of meat and gravy and fluffy white something on the side. Kraglin also set two white pills on the table before the bottles of green stuff and told her to take them.

“Pain blockers,” He explained. 

Again, despite her hunger, Abby forced herself to eat slowly, savoring the rich taste of whatever the gravy-soaked meat was, and the soggy orange vegetables beside the whipped white potato-like substance. She let out a happy sigh as she ate the first mouthful, and Kraglin watched her, his own fork halfway to his open mouth. He cleared his throat when she looked up at him and got busy eating again.  
It might have been her hunger talking, but this was one of the best meals she’d had in a long time, and she was disappointed when she looked down and saw her plate empty. Kraglin noticed as well and slid his half-eaten plate towards her. She realized she must have eaten faster then she’d thought, and blushed, shaking her head. Kraglin rolled his eyes but shrugged, pulling his plate back. 

The din of the room quieted, and Abby looked up to see why then ducked her head demurely again. The Kree captain was walking over to the table, a swagger in his step. Kraglin dipped his head and tapped his chest in recognition. 

“Kraglin, we’re landing.” He said, and Kraglin nodded. 

“Well, Abby, see you around,” Kraglin said as he stood. He gave the captain an unreadable look and then left the mess hall. The captain looked her over once, his eyes lingering on the green cat thing, he looked up at her with a slightly arched eyebrow and quirked lips. He laughed softly.

“Kraglin, pick that out for you?” He asked she nodded. He smirked and then followed Kraglin out. He gave her one last look over his shoulder before vanishing out the mess hall door, almost like he was expecting her to follow.  
Curiosity overcame her, and she limped after the two men. They were well ahead of her, but the food and the pain blocker Kraglin had given her helped her only limp along slightly. 

She managed to follow the captain, who was walking suspiciously slow, to what turned out to be a cargo bay. He walked over to Kraglin then, who stood monitoring the unloading of cargo busily checking things off on a digital pad. The captain looked at her from the side of his eye but said nothing as she limped forward. 

She stood for a long moment, basking in the sight of glittering pink snow covering a dense expanse of haggard-looking buildings. She could see the pristine snow outside and the bright yellow sky of winter on the planet. Different and yet familiar. People in a variety of clothes and races walked past the gaping cargo bay door. Cold air blew in, and her every exhale was steam. Yondu continued to watch her from the corner of her eye, but she ignored him. She wondered how far she could get before they caught her.

“Where are we?” she asked, feeling the cold rush of air on her face and breathing deeply of the fresh wet smell of snow and trees beyond the cargo bay doors. 

“Freron, we’re dropping off cargo. Then the men get a bit of shore leave.” The captain looked over at her, now taking in her naked pleasure at the sight of the world beyond. “You’re coming with me into town, though.” He said. “Take’n you to the clique. Gotta make sure you don’t have space worms or someth’n.” She went still and turned as pale as the snow beyond. She turned to look at him with something like horror. 

“Figured you’d do that,” He said. “You can come with me on your own two feet, or I’ll carry you there over my shoulder.” He squared off to her.   
Abby went for bluster, pulling herself up to her full height, which was still half a foot shorter than him. He narrowed his red eyes at her and waited. 

“I don’t want to go,” she said, her voice a lot softer then she’d meant. The captain nodded. 

“Figured that too,” he said. He didn’t look like he was going to change his mind, though. She shivered as the cold that crept into the cargo bay started to seep into her skin. At least that was what she was telling herself. “Geof! Get me a spare coat!” the captain yelled at a scraggly man. Geof nodded and vanished behind a metal wall briefly, reappearing with a plain black coat. It hung below her knees and belted snugly. “Ready?” the captain asked, arching an eyebrow again. Abby didn’t say anything but followed stiffly after him as he walked. 

He had a ground eating pace that was grueling for her to keep up with. Focusing on that, though, kept her mind from thinking about what was going to happen to her at the clique. She fell in behind him, keeping her head low and her eyes directly in front of her. She could see the back of his legs and used that to keep herself oriented. 

She peeked from time to time from the corner of her eye, taking in the dizzying fashions and the lights that advertised everything from food to clothes, to spare parts, to sex. She tried to take it in, to memorize where things were and where the best place to run would be. The captain seemed to notice and slowed his step to walk beside her now. 

“You got a name yet?” the captain asked as they walked. 

“Sure, do you?” She said. He looked over at her with an exasperated look. 

“Yondu,” he said. 

“Abby,” She said, deciding she liked the way it felt to have Kraglin call her that after all these years. 

“Abby,” Yondu said. “Where’d those slavers grab you?” He asked, seemingly unconcerned. 

“Why?” She said sharply. Not sure she wanted to share anything more with him. He just shrugged, a simple careless rise and fall of his broad shoulders. 

He didn’t say anything else as they walked. Most of the people in the street ignored them. Those that did notice them stepped away, seeing the captain walking with the girl behind him. His sleeveless crimson duster seemed to mean something to the locals, and it kept them at bay. Even the street hawkers eyed them warily. She kept her eyes down and in front of her. Just like she was taught, Master before, servant behind. 

The town began to thin out, the stores becoming fewer shops and more businesses, mechanics and part shops. Quick cash joints, places to buy drugs, and a few seedier prostitution joints advertising ‘live’ women. More people in the same crimson as the captain milled about, and people seemed more friendly towards the captain here. 

Then the storefronts ended altogether, and just a plain-looking building stood at the end of the road. Several neon signs in a variety of languages declared it a ‘Clinic of the People’. 

They arrived at the clinic door, and Abby found she couldn’t make herself go any further. She really did try to make her feet move, but all her legs would do was shake. Yondu stood patiently, his eyes narrowed, evaluating the situation. 

“Need a shove?” he finally asked, and she turned hard eyes at him. He smirked, and embarrassment and anger at the embarrassment warmed her system. That simple action made her want to punch him and gave her a boost to walked forward thought the doors. He walked in behind her, and when she backed up into him, he just rested a wide hand on her shoulder. “Relax. They ain't gonna hurt you,” he said softly. The man behind the counter looked up at them and blinked a few times. 

“Can I help you?” he asked. 

“Here for Doctor Kellf,” Yondu said. The man, a nurse, Abby registered now, nodded and punched something into a data-pad. 

“Just go to room three,” He pointed over the hall that had several doors in it. “Doctor Kellf will be with you shortly.”

Yondu had to steer her now, but he said nothing about it. He just turned her with his large hands and gently pushed her down the hall. He found the room and reached around her to open the door and guide her in. Abby’s teeth were chattering now, and she was one second away from bolting completely. Yondu seemed to sense that and stood blocking the door that led to the hall. The second door opened, and a woman stepped in. Her gray hair swept up in a spiky wreath, and her pale orange skin wrinkled. She swept her eyes over Abby and then Yondu, then she frowned. Sharp teeth poked her lower lip in displeasure. 

“You’re not Stakar,” She said. 

“Never said I was,” He said. She narrowed her eyes at him, measured him again, then turned her eyes on Abby. She felt like the doctor was looking right into her core. She shivered again, then felt herself start to disassociate from it all. 

“Would you like a nerve soother?” Dr. Kellf asked. “I have it in Chocolate flavor. I hear Terrans prefer it to the Lannas flavor?”

Abby worked hard to process what was going on through the fear haze in her mind. She’d never been offered a soother before. Sure she’d been drudged, especially before any procedure, but it was never an option. 

“I- uh- w-would,” She managed to get out. She hated the feeling of being drugged, but this was only going to end ugly if she didn’t get herself under some control and fast. Dr, Kellf nodded and went to a wall unit and punched a few buttons. “What’s your name then?”

“A-Abby.” It was getting easier to tell people that. 

A small cup dropped down. The doctor handed it to her, and it smelled and looked just like hot chocolate. Abby blinked. Slowly she brought it to her lips and drank a small warm sip. It tasted like hot chocolate too. Quickly, before her brain caught up with her, she downed the whole thing, scalding her tongue slightly. The doctor laughed slightly. 

“You don’t have anything to worry about here,” She said. “I’m going to first examine you, it may be a tad uncomfortable, but we can stop at any point and give you time to adjust. Ok?” Abby nodded numbly at the woman. “From there, we can discuss treatments. We won't do anything you don’t approve of, ok?” Abby gaped this time and nodded. “Alright, then.” The doctor turned to Yondu, “you can wait outside.”

“No!” Abby said suddenly as Yondu turned to open the door. He froze, the look he gave her was calm and blank. 

“Abby,” Dr. Kellf said, skillfully stepping between the two of them. “You’re safe here. I promise. And it would really be best, for you, if he wasn’t in here.” Dr. Kellf smiled, and her face wrinkled in a comforting way. Abby felt her pulse race despite the soother. She swallowed hard, her eyes frozen on Yondu’s ruby ones. 

“I -I’m not worried about me,” she stammered out, tearing her eyes away and looking at Dr, Kellf. “I’m worried about what I might do to you.”

Dr, Kellf straightened up, blinked, and nodded. 

“Well, that’s fair. But I can have a female droid come in and assist. Would that be acceptable?” Abby blinked.

“Are they fast?” She asked, not really sure what the doctor meant. The only female droids she’d ever seen were sex droids. 

“Yes, and strong,” the doctor said. “It’s really best for you for him to not be here for this.” The doctor punched something into the pad, and the far door opened again, this time an orange-colored feminine looking droid walked in. She smiled friendly at everyone and took a position at the head of the examination table. “Is that better?” 

Abby looked a the orange woman looking droid. It was hard to judge if it would be faster than her. She was pretty motivated right now. Still, she realized what the doctor was saying. The doctor was assuming, correctly, what Abby had been, though, and didn’t think Abby really wanted to share that. 

“Sure,” Abby said, not looking behind her again until she heard the door close


	5. Chapter 5

Yondu let out a shaky breath as he leaned against the hall wall. He didn’t realize how happy he was to get the fuck out of there. He’d have stayed if Abby had insisted. She had no way of knowing what she was asking of him. But he was beyond grateful that the Doctor had a way out for him. Taking another stabilizing breath, he wandered down the hall to the receptionist. 

“Contact me when she’s ready to leave,” He said, mustering all the bluster he could. The nurse nodded and said nothing as the Ravager captain left. He knew the nurse wouldn't say anything, either. This clinic was used by more than one Ravager faction. Stakar being the most frequent. Stakar had a personal vendetta against slavers, and he paid Dr. Kellf and her people well to help former slaves recover. 

Stepping into the cold, he found it fortifying. The day was fading into the evening, and the distant sun was turning the cold sky brilliant hues of pink and purple. Small white streaks of ships entering and exiting the atmosphere left puffy white scars across the colored sky. They crisscrossed like the old scars on his back, and the thought of them made his back twinge. He understood far too well what Abby felt in there, what she was going through, and what it was going to be like. 

He took a few more breaths and pulled his communicator out of his pocket. 

“Stakar?” Yondu said as the square man’s face came into view on the screen. The man looked less than happy to see Yondu, but he knew that was just Stakar’s resting bitch face. “I need a few things from you.”

Stakar arched one thick black eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Found me a slave transport ship last cycle. Had two on it. One Terran, one Samos. The Samos was dead when we got there, but the Terran is still alive. I figured I could dump her on you to get her collar off, maybe get her back to earth?” Yondu recited the report off in a clipped professional tone, which only made Stakar’s eyebrow arch higher. The other man knew Yondu, and probably could read him, despite Yondu’s attempt to hide his discomfort. 

“Alright,” He agreed far too easily. “But I have a job to finish up here. It’s going to take at least two standard weeks. I can meet you on Eiter, around Et’min-dar.” 

“That’ll do.” Yondu said. He could keep her busy till then, push her, test her, see if she was strong enough to bounce back from being kept against her will. Stakar smirked, reading Yondu’s expression. 

“Try not to break her in that time,” Stakar said. “Terran’s aren’t known for being sturdy.”

Yondu frowned. He had a much different experience with Terrans than Stakar did. He’d raised one from a chick, and his boy had turned out pretty damn sturdy if he did say so himself.

“I’ll wager this one’ll surprise you,” Yondu said. “Found her after she’d killed four of the eight crew from the transport ship, and she tried pretty damn hard to strangle Ber’rad.” Though that had been the idiots’ fault for getting to close to a feral slave, Stakar nodded slightly, as close to impressed as he got. “She thinks I’mma Kree,” He said, though he hadn’t meant to. 

Some light passed through Stakar’s eyes, and it made Yondu grit his teeth. Then Stakar shrugged. 

“Tell her you’re not. She’ll probably trust you more.”

“I don’t care if she trusts me or not,” Yondu lied, and from his expression, Stakar knew it too. He said nothing as Yondu ground his teeth again, then let out a long hissing breath. “Probably won’t hurt to be honest, though.” Stakar’s mouth twitched.

“Honesty is the best policy,” He grinned, fast and bright, his strange slightly luminescent teeth glowing in the comlink. “’ Cept when it’s not.” Yondu chuckled softly. 

“Two weeks, Admiral,” Yondu said, and Stakar nodded.

“Two weeks, Captain.”


	6. Chapter 6

The examination had taken more time than Abby would have liked. And she’d only broken down once, but it had slowed things down. Doctor Kellf had refused to examine her while she was sobbing, insisting that she have time to process things fully and even gave her a second hot cup of soother. 

Now they sat waiting for Yondu to come to get her. Doctor Kellf had given her several medications, and a permanent fertility control implant. 

“Your wounds are just going to have to heal the old fashion way,” Doctor Kellf said. “They were seen to fairly well, to begin with, and are healing clean. The rest is up to you.”

“Thank you,” Abby said with a watery smile. 

“You’re lucky. I’ve not dealt with this Ravager Captain before, but I know that they have a code that forbids the taking or keeping of slaves. That he knew to bring you here, tells me he knows how the abolition movement works, which many of the Ravagers don’t. You’ll probably be home before you even realize it.” Doctor Kellf patted Abby on the back softly, aware of the still-healing lash marks. 

“Yeah,” Abby sniffled as Yondu came in. His face cocky. 

“You about done?” He asked, and She felt a rush of anger at his words. This had been his idea. 

“All done,” Doctor Kellf said. “A few things to take ti keep infections down, but otherwise she’s remarkably healthy and strong. Try not to be too much of a jackass to her,” the Doctor said, and Yondu looked at her with a mild surprise. He barked a burst of laughter. 

“Thought you didn’t know me?” He said. 

“I don’t, but I know your type,” The Doctor said before disappearing through her own door. 

Yondu turned his attention to Abby. It was clear she’d been crying, and she made it even more clear she didn’t want to talk about it. She stood up from the table and managed to not wobble. He smirked and jerked his head for her to follow, she did, and he led her a cab which took them back to the ship. 

“When can you take the collar off?” She asked as he led her down the metal halls. 

“When you hold up your end of the bargain,” He said. She frowned at him.

“How long?” She asked, not liking what she was hearing. 

He just gave her a cocky smile. He’d have the little devices that Stakar’s men had developed to cut through the Kree slave collars in two weeks. They just had to go pick them up. But she didn’t need to know that just yet. “When I’m satisfied,” he said, “rent ain’t free.” 

“I’m not exactly renting from you,” She said as he stopped them before a door. He punched a code into it. It slid open, and Abby blinked. He gestured for her to go in, but she didn’t. She gave him a dubious look. 

“You want the room or not? You can sleep in the crew’s quarters if you want.” Yondu smirked. Abby looked from him to the room and back again. It was roughly the size of a closet, but it had a bed, and a small recess that she suspected was a side-by-side shower and toilet. 

“I-I can’t, I-I don’t have…why?” She looked at him, and he wasn’t smiling anymore, he just shook his head. 

“Code’s 9964,” he said. “You can reset it if you want, but I can always override it. It’s my ship. Far’s rent goes, we’ve discussed it. You keep your end up. You’ll more than pay your share.”

“But my collar, people will know,” She said, pulling on it anxiously. It was a habit she had developed over the years and now did without thinking. Yondu pulled a length of soft gray material from his pocket and tossed it at her. Abby caught it and recognized as a scarf. 

“We’ve got a ton of them down in the storage cargo. Pick a few out and pick out some better clothing. Kraglin has horrible taste. Meet me back at Pure Water, the bar that we passed getting here. I got your first job lined up.”

Abby watched dumbfounded as the Ravager captain walked off. Gathering her wits, she walked slowly to the storage cargo bay. Ravagers watched her as she passed, but none of them moved to bother her. More than a few of the rugged, scruffy men eyed her in a way that made her inner alarm go off, but none moved to interact with her. 

“Where yeh heading darling?” One man stepped in front of her, and she looked up her dazed expression turning to ice instantly. He just smirked. He was humanoid, gray-skinned, with a deep blue tattoo on his face. His short hair was dread-locked and almost silver. “I’m Tullk,” he said, pointing a thumb at his chest. Abby watched him wearily. He leaned forward a bit more. “Probably shouldn’t be wandering around the ship un-escorted now,” He said, his accent clear and un-placeable. 

“I can take care of myself,” She said, clutching the scarf in both hands and concentrating on who she’d strangle first if this turned ugly. Tullk smiled. 

“Here now, Kraglin said you was a stubborn cuss.” Tullk laughed. “Just tell me where yer head’n, and I’ll take you straight there.”

Her eyes narrowed, and her back straight, she weighed her options. She didn’t know where she was going, and Yondu had made it sound like he wanted her at Pure Water sooner than later. 

“Storage Cargo. I need better clothes,” She said. Tullk nodded.

“I guess a ‘tough pussy’ shirt ain’t yer thing then?” Tullk said with a toothy grin. She looked down at the neon green cat thing on her shirt. 

“Is that what that says?” She asked, and Tullk gave a cheerful laugh. She looked up with an almost grin.

“Follow me then.” As he led her around the ship, he pointed things out to her. Storage spaces with different things in them, the way to bridge, recreations rooms, communal shower stations, bathrooms, the way tot eh kitchens and cafeteria. The hanger bays, and finally, the cargo holds. “We keep things mostly compartmentalized,” Tullk said. “Captain, don’t like things being all messy like.”

“I can see,” She stepped over to a wall of long black crates set into rotating slots. Tullk demonstrated how to make the crate rotate, and Abby pretended she didn’t already know how that worked. He was being nice, and her nerves were just a bit too fried yet. She spent a few moments going over the crates of clothes, in all sizes, colors, materials and uses. Tullk made himself useful, chiming in when she pulled out something he liked or making a joke about a particularly ugly bit. 

Eventually, she settled on two pairs of pants, and three shirts, all of a reasonable fit, two many-pocketed vests that wrapped around her torso snugly, a utility belt with a detachable holster and knife sheath, and a small over the shoulder bag. She also found underwear, to which Tullk gave her no end of comments on. She eventually threated to stuff his mouth with them if he didn’t shut up, and he just grinned and winked at her. Of everyone she’d met so far, she found it almost impossible to dislike him. 

“Why don’t I want to kill you?” She asked him after she’d ducked behind crates to change. 

“Mah charming good looks?” He said, winking one of his clear gray eyes at her. 

“Nah, probably not,” She smiled at him none-the-less. 

“Where to now, then?” He asked. 

“I need to drop this off in..uh, the room, the uh-” Why did she have a hard time saying it?

“The room the captain set aside for yeh?” Tullk suppled, a wicked glint in his eyes. She frowned and nodded. “He said yeh might be staying with us a bit, working for him, with us.” Tullk gestured to himself again. “Won’t be the first time we’ve had a guest on board.”

She looked up at that and nodded slowly. Something about that put her at ease. 

“After I drop this off, I’ll need to go to Pure Water, to meet with the captain,” She said. Tullk nodded. 

“Alright then, let's get yeh settled and back to the captain.”


	7. Chapter 7

Tullk insisted on escorting her to Pure Water, but after locating the captain at the bar, left her to join Kraglin and another man surrounded by yellow-colored sexbots. Abby rolled her eyes and walked over tot he blue man. He eyed her as she waked up and handed her a drink. She eyed it suspiciously. 

“Probably shouldn’t drink with my meds,” she said, he grinned crookedly. 

“It’s non-reactive to Terrans,” he said. She took it a sipped. It was tangy and sweet, with just slight carbonation. She gave it a pleased look and took a bigger swig. “You look like you got sense to you now,” He said, eyeing her outfit. She’d kept the long black coat, her last mistress had one similar, and Abby had always envied the coat for some reason. Now, if she had the option, she was keeping this one. 

“Thanks,” She said. He tipped his head and ran his tongue over his teeth. 

“Nicest thing you’ve said to me since we picked you up,” He said. 

“It’s the first time I actually believe you’re not trying to hurt me,” She said with a swig. “But that can change.”

Yondu laughed his rough cackle. Abby looked around the room, taking in the men and the women intermixing. There were more than just sexbots in the room, and more than just female bots getting rented for the night. She saw the stares where couples disappeared up and saw the Ravager emblem on more jackets and vests than Yondu’s crew could hold. 

“There's about three other factions here tonight,” Yondu said, seeing her eye wander. 

“How many factions are there?” She asked. She knew a passing bit about Ravagers. They were space pirates, not quite as ruthless and bloodthirsty as the Marauders, but still, something that gave almost all of her past masters the jitters. 

“One-hundred and one,” He said, sounding proud. She looked at him.

“That’s a rather specific number.”

Yondu nodded, sipping whatever it was the pale blue liquid was in his bottle. 

“I pinned the hundred and first faction myself,” He said. “Proud moment for me.”

“Why?” She asked, getting the gist of the event. Yondu cut his red eyes to her and tilted his head. As if thinking on whether he should share or not. 

“My boy, Peter, earned his own Captains crest,” He said. “He was supposed to get mine, but things changed, and he got his own instead.”

“Well, I guess, congratulations?” Abby said, saluting him and his boy Peter. Yondu nodded with a slow grin and returned the gesture. 

“Now, on to business,” Yondu said. “There’s a Man here, on yer left, fat man with red skin.” He waited as she looked around the room and spotted the man. He was drinking alone except for a disinterested looking sex bot on his lap. She’d never seen a sex bot look unhappy, but this one came close. “Mean cuss, half-drunk already. He’s got a storage container in the back of this bar, and that sex bot’s got the unlock codes.” Yondu grinned at her. “Don’t make a scene, and don’t kill him. Keep his attention on you long enough to slip him this mickey and reactivate the droid.” He gestured for one of the roving sex bots to come over. She looked overly pleased, and Yondu hooked an arm around her. “We’re gonna be waiting in the bar for you to get the working, then we’ll handle the rest,” he said with a wink he slid several credits towards her, and then guided the yellow woman towards the stars. 

Abby spent a few moments watching the fat red alien and his distended bot. She finally realized the bot was on standby. Wondering what that meant exactly, Abby took a moment to asses everything. The man looked drunk and paranoid. His sunken eyes roving around the bar constantly. Why was he even here if he was this on edge. She remembered a trick some of the others at the training house would play when the guests were a bit on the inebriated side. 

She pulled the scarf Yondu had given her up and over her hair, using it a bit like a hood. She tucked it a bit to try and look mysterious. A few more trinkets would have sold the look a bit more, but she hoped him being drunk would work. She ordered a similar drink to the one the man was drinking and dropped the drug-pill that Yondu had left with the credits. She gave it a swirl and worked up enough nerve to sashay over to the red man’s table. 

“I have a message for you,” She said in the most mysterious voice she could muster. The man looked up and squinted at her. 

“You from *urp* Yakken?” She managed to arch an eyebrow at him. He was classy. 

“Is that how you’re supposed to ask?” She set her glass down, close to his own. He looked around nervously again. The managed what might have been a sheepish look. 

“I *urp* forgot the passcode.” He said, petting the bot on his lap. It didn’t respond. She felt a tiny knot of relief but shifted her stance. She had been going for the mysterious fortuneteller with a message from the dead angle, but this might work too.

“Well, we can overlook that for now.” She leaned over the table, close enough to smell the pungent man. He smelled like aged dirt, and he appeared to be slightly slimy to the touch too. “Do you remember what we discussed?” She said, going for authoritative, pushing the glass a tad closer. 

“ *urp* Y-yes,” He patted the bot and looked around nervously again. “But why did you want to meet here? Shouldn’t we do this in private?”

“The more open the location, the less suspicious it seems,” Abby bluffed. The man sank into himself a little and nodded. Abby began to get a really bad feeling that this was a little bit more dangerous than just getting the bot, and she really hoped the Yondu guy had her back. If this went south, she had a bad feeling she was dead. “Are you ready for the swap?” She said, picking up his glass and standing up straight again, using the glass to gesture at the bot. 

“Here?” The man sounded unsure. “I-if I activate her now…”

“Finish your drink, go upstairs, and leave the bot here.” She tried for intimidating, “I can handle the rest.” 

The red man said nothing a long moment and seemed to be thinking his way through the conversation. Abby took a sip of the drink in her hand or pretended to. She eyed his new drink, and he snatched it up, gulping it down. 

“Now?” She said. 

“What about payment?” He wobbled up to his feet. “I went through a lot *urp* to get this to you.” 

Abby froze a moment. How the hell was she going to bluff that? 

“We already arranged payment plans with you.” She said, trying to sound authoritative. She nodded slightly as she said it, and the red man nodded along with her. 

“ *urp* Y-yeah?” He slid the bot off his lap and began to stand up slowly. “So upstairs, then?” He burped one more time, and she just gestured impatiently a the stairs. He wandered off, looking over his shoulders several times. He wasn’t buying it completely, she could tell, but he couldn’t seem to think of any way to contradict her. She waited for him to vanish up the stair and then looked around to the table Tullk had gone to. It was empty. 

She set the drink down and then looked at the vacant bot string at the empty glass. She slipped up beside it and reached around for the activation button. She knew how to activate most sexbots; it came with the territory. Her eyes blinked on before starting to glow. She tipped her perfectly proportioned head at Abby and smiled with perfectly plump lips. 

“Right this way,” She purred, not looking at Abby, but getting up out of the booth and walking towards the back of the bar. Abby got up and started to follow, not knowing what else to do. Yondu had said his people would do the rest, so where were they.

“Just turn and walk,” Tullk said, moving past her to follow the droid. “Head for the ship.” The others at the table with him began to casually walk with the droid, and she did as she was told. She managed to be calm as she left the bar, but once outside, she felt the need to rush. She felt exposed and unsafe. Not what she’d expected to feel once she was ‘free.’ 

Absently she touched the scarf and the collar under it. Was she really free, though? She still wasn’t sure about Yondu and his ravagers, people, could be nice when they wanted something. But what, other than the obvious, did she have to offer him?  
Lost in her thoughts, she managed to walk straight into a group of men. Backing up, she saw the ravager insignia on their coats. Not Yondu’s. Her hairs went up, she was already keyed up, and this wasn’t helping. She reached for a weapon, but no one had given her one yet. She swore inwardly and tried for bluster again as the three males turned to leer at her. The biggest held a bottle he took a long drink from while eying her. 

“Fuck off,” She said.

“Sure, babe, just show me where,” The beefy green humanoid reached for her quickly, and she stepped out of his reach. 

“Ooh, Like ta play, do ya?” The green man nodded at his friends, who fanned around her and just like that, she was surrounded. He drank from the bottle and grinned at her drunkenly. “Why not just come with us, eh? We’ll make a nice night of it.” He held the bottle out to her as his friends closed in. 

She reached for it as alarms went off in her head. She even managed a snarl of a smile at him, before reversing her grip on the neck of it, bringing the bottle up and into the side of his head. It staggered him, and she reversed her swing to smack it squarely on his nose. He went down, and she bent to grab a knife from his belt, holding both the knife and the bottle up now, the other two men drew their own knives and squared off with her. 

“Get on back to the ship!” A man’s voice snapped, and she whipped around to see a four-eyed, four-horned, reptilian creature in deep crimson clothes. His outer jacket was long and hung to his calves. His wide mouth was turned down in a permanent frown. His bronze scaly skin beneath the jacket shimmered almost magically in the neon lights of the area. She noticed the flame-shaped badge on his chest, and that it matched the three others. She didn’t drop her guard.

The new man watched her as the men grabbed their friend and pulled him away. He moaned and kicked to try and stand up. He wasn’t dead, and that disappointed Abby slightly. The man stepped around her, and she tracked him with her knife. He just tilted his head at her. “You’re the one from the bar. You just leave a wake of discontent around you, eh?” 

“What?” she snapped. She itched from nerves, and she really was ready to kill someone. 

“Seems there’s a rampaging Rasnaoria in there swearing he’s going to murder the bitch that stole his droid. Got the whole place upset.” The man scratched his scaly chin. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” 

She held her ground, not knowing what to do exactly. He wasn’t one of Yondu’s people that much she knew. If the similarities between his crest and Yondu’s were any indicator, it meant they were both Captains, but Yondu hadn’t told her anything about trusting other captains. It also seemed unwise to take on a captain; probably, they were that rank for a reason. 

He took a step closer. 

“Look here, you little bitch.” He said in a pleasant tone, all four of his eyes narrowed on her. “That took a long time to set up, and you cost me a very good payday.” His voice was low as he loomed. “Who the hell were you working with? Or should I just take the price out of your hide.” 

A shrill whistle made them both jump, and the new man backed up. He turned to look over his shoulder at eh hovering arrow. 

“Henji,” Yondu stood, his hand on his other hip just above his blaster. Kraglin and Tullk flanked him. None of them looked happy. The man, Henji, snarled at them. 

“Just like you to use a grupie to do your work for you,” Henji said, turning away from her completely. Yondu didn’t even look bothered. 

“Awe, what’s wrong, Henji? You lose something?” Kraglin chided. Tullk nodded. 

“Maybe he should ask Captain Gar’kur if they’ve seen it?” Tullk suggested. 

“Aw yeah,” Kraglin nodded. “Hey, Gar’kur even know yer here? Bet they’d be plenty happy ta help.” 

Henji actually hissed at them and turned on his heel, walking away from all of them. 

“Ah did not see that coming,” Kraglin laughed as Tullk chuckled. Yondu walked up to her and eyed the bottle and knife. 

“You wanna tell me what happened?” He asked, sheathing his arrow. 

“Men are ass holes,” She said, dropping the bottle, but keeping the knife. Yondu didn’t seem to mind. He shrugged. That’s not Henji’s blood on the bottle, so who else did ya have issues with?” 

“Doesn’t matter, they’re gone.” She turned towards the ship and began walking. “Did you get what you wanted?” she grumbled over her shoulder. 

“Yeh, in spades.” He said, walking behind her. “Nice trick ya played. Not what I expected.” 

“I’m not a fuck-toy,” she said. 

“Clearly,” He reached out and stopped her, turning her around to face him. “I can work with someone who can think fast like that.” 

“So, you want to keep me around?” She asked. Yondu tilted his head a bit and gave her a wicked smile. 

“You want the room, you know the terms.” 

“I want the room,” she said, making a decision. As long as she could choose, she was as free as she could get. Yondu laughed and swatted her on the back. It rocked her a little, but the other joined in as they walked back to the ship. It was odd, but it felt - good to be part of the group.


	8. Chapter 8

A banging on the door woke her, and it took a full minute for her to realize where she was. She was still naked, wrapped in towels from her shower, and laying on her bed. She remembered collapsing on it in an exhausted heap. She wrinkled her nose a the pile of clothes she’d yet to wash. There was a refreshing closet build into the wall of her small room, and all she had to do was hang them back up to have them cleaned, but even that had been too much for her last night. 

The baning repeated, this time with a muffled shout. 

“Open the fucking door, or I’ll open it, Abby,” Yondu said. He didn’t seem pleased. She made herself sit up and winced as every ache she had came to life in full glory. She groaned and tried to get off the bed, but she was moving too slow. The door to her room hissed open, and Yondu stood looking not-to-pleased. 

“I can’t possibly have done whatever it is you’re mad about,” She said, still fighting off sleep. He just stood there a long moment, then moved into the room and closed the door behind him. 

“You were sleeping?” He asked, looking around the sparse room. He saw the heap of clothes and the satchel on the desk built in the wall. “Just sleeping?”

She paused, looking at him like he was speaking an alien tongue. Then she remembered the communal showers yesterday and thought she understood why he was angry.

“Yeah, sorry, I came back last night and just showered and then laid down. I guess I didn’t have an alarm,” She looked around groggy. “Could you hand me the satchel there? The Doctor gave me some pain blockers, my everything hurts.”

“Probably cause you’ve been asleep over a full cycle now,” Yondu said, handing her the bag and then a flask from his hip. She blinked at him, taking it absently.

“A whole day?” She shook her head and fished out the pain meds, taking one and then washing it down with the flask. She was surprised to taste water, just plain water. 

“I sent Kraiglen to wake you. He just told me you hadn’t come to any meals.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess I did miss that.” She stood up and clutched at her towel. It had unwound itself from her and threatened to fall off completely if she didn’t hold it. “Could you give me a minute?” She maneuvered around him and the clothing pile to get the closet in the wall. It was a tight fit, but Yondu found a way to keep himself from touching her. “Jeeze, at least turn your back and pretend?” she snapped.

He looked like he was going to say something, thought better of it, then smirked. “I’ll be outside,” He said and let himself out.

She dressed quickly and hung her old clothes up to let eh closet clean them. Then she grabbed her satchel, leaving her coat behind. She stepped out and found him standing in the hall, tossing a knife up in the air and catching it. 

“Do I have time to grab a quick bite?” She asked, still not sure what he wanted. 

“It’s dinner time, woman!” He said, shaking his head. “I told you, you’ve been out for almost a whole day now.”

“Sorry?” She said, not knowing what else she should say. “Was that against the rules?”

“What rules?” He said, shaking his head. He led the way to the canteen hall. Ravagers were all over the place some sitting, some pulling out plates of food, others hauling drinks. Kraglin sat at a table with Tullk and the same guy from the last time she’d seen them. “Tullk and Oblo,” he said, noticing where her eyes went. “My honor guard.” 

“Honor guard?” She said, waving to them as they gave enthusiastic waves back. 

“Had a bit of trouble a while back, they stayed true,” Yondu said. “You can trust them.”

“Good to know,” Abby said. Yondu sat at a large empty table and sprawled in the high backed chair there. Abby bit her lip to keep from laughing at him. He didn’t look silly, rather, like a surly youth trying to hard to be impressive. 

“You gonna sit down?” he asked as Kraglin, Tullk, and Oblo wandered over with food. Seeing no reason not to, she glanced around and then sat as Kraglin the others joined them. Food was served, some kind of roast meat, again with too much gravy, and over stewed vegetables and mashed something. Again she made herself eat slowly, which seemed to work this time, and simply enjoy the ruckus of the room. As she had time to look around this time, she saw she wasn’t the only woman on the ship. There were several others she could identify. They all appeared as rough as their counterparts, and none were dressed to seduce. 

She did notice that all of the Ravagers at the table snuck looks at her, save Yondu, who just openly stared at her. She knew it was an intimidation tactic and did her best to ignore it. Eventually, however, she got tired of it. 

“What?” She snapped at him, he grinned. “Surely you’ve seen a woman eat before?”

“Surely I have, Darling,” He said, sitting back, Tullk and Oblo suddenly interested in anything other than them. Kraglin kept his eyes steady on her, a slight tilt to his lips. She raked them with a hot gaze. 

“Then what, Sugar?” She said. She remembered enough of her uncle’s farm to recall the nicknames her mother would call the men when they were bing asses. 

“Oh, mouthy thing, eh? Must be a Terran trait,” he concluded. 

“I wouldn’t judge all of Earth based on me,” She said, reaching to refill her drink. 

“Had me another Terran for a bit,” Yondu said, and Kraglin truly smirked this time. 

“Quill had a mouth on him too,” Kraglin agreed. Yondu nodded. 

“Quill?” Abby asked, if he was talking, she was going to listen. Another skill she’d picked up. 

“My boy Peter,” he said, drinking deep. She nodded, remembering the story from the other night. “How’d the slavers get you?” 

Abby blinked a the sudden change in topic. She didn’t want to answer him, so she stared off into the room. It was beginning to thin out, and even Tullk and Obol stood and gave lazy salutes and left. 

“You don’t need to worry about them no more,” Kraglin said when she didn’t say anything. “Slavers and Ravagers don’t mix, ‘genst the code and all.”

“I’ll believe that when this collar is off my neck,” she said. “They can still track me. Probably will when they find that dead ship.”

“Let em,” Kraglin said. Abby blinked. “Won’t be the first group of slavers we took out.” He drank deep from his bottle and burped. 

Abby thought back to that summer night when the ship had come from the sky, and the beam of light had lifted her and her mother into it. She knew now what all of it had been, but at the time, she’d been terrified god himself was taking her to heaven. They, the Kree slavers, had snagged them off the side of the road, her and her mother, who she bearly remembered anymore. They had been walking because the truck broke down and they were trying to get to her uncle’s house. She sighed and pushed her plate away. There was more to it, but she didn’t want to go there. 

It had been a long time ago, and she’d done a fine job of suppressing her memories of it. She stood up slowly as the men watched her. They exchanged a look, and she didn’t want to spend the time deciphering it. She limped quickly out of the canteen hall. She didn’t want to deal with them, with her memories, or the constant reminder that she still had this damned collar on her neck, and no evidence that it was going to come off anytime soon.


	9. Chapter 9

It had been a week since she’d been taken on the ship, and the collar was still in place. Fortunately, her wounds were healed up, which meant she was ready to get out.   
She’d done several more ‘jobs’ for the blue captain and the Kraglin guy. Even Tullk had been in on one. Mainly she was a distraction, sent to dazzle the eye, and keep people occupied as the Ravagers did their thing. She was a smooth talker and observant. It allowed her to adjust to the situations Yondu kept putting her in. Until the blasters came out, and then she was up shit creek. Someone was always there, though, to draw the fire and pull her away. It was odd being a lure, but she appeared to be good at it. 

Still, the lack of talk about removing the collar was beginning to wear on her. She was beginning to think she might need to take matters into her own hands. Not that she hadn’t already tried a few times. She had a nasty cut she kept hidden beneath the gray scarf Yondu had tossed her. If anyone had noticed, they didn’t say anything. 

What worried her most was the knowledge that she could be tracked by the signal the collar gave off, and any bounty hunter interested in her reward would have the signal code to follow. Since she couldn’t get the damn thing off, she did the next best thing and found a way to jam the signal. She’d done that before, with an older collar, but she was pretty sure it worked this time as well. She tested it a few times with a scanner she found in the storage bays, and nothing came up. It put her mind at ease a little more. Kraglin had mentioned the Ravagers wouldn’t tolerate slavers coming after her while she was on their ship, but she wasn’t sure she’d always be here. If she was free, it meant she could go wherever she wanted. And honestly, she wanted to go back to earth, eventually, someday. 

She thought about that some as she stared over the vast plains of Eridana. 

The major port was an agricultural hub, and the ships were going to set down for a full stock-up on food and supplies for Elector. While they were busy with that, Abby thought she could slip into the vast automated farm fields and away. She could wait for the Elector to leave and then either hitch a ride on one of the other shipping vessels or stow-away.

The idea had its allure. She’d almost escaped once before she was sent to the pits to service the gladiators. The problem was, what would she do once she was out there alone? She didn’t have the survival skills the Ravagers seemed to have. And she greatly didn’t have the equipment. She could start a primitive fire, and she could cook most foods over it, but that wasn’t really enough to make it. She couldn’t hunt, didn’t really know much about what not to eat, and what about shelter? 

“Getting ideas?” Yondu stepped up beside her, the look he gave her was suspicious, but amused. 

“About?” She flashed him an innocent look, and he laughed at her. 

“Don’t forget yer part of the mission,” He said, pointing at her. “I don’t like my people being left high and dry.” 

It was a warning, and she knew it. Thing was, she didn’t really want to screw anyone over. Sure there were people on the ship who creped her out, but the small core group that she stuck with seemed friendly enough, and she kinda liked them. 

She met Kraglin and Tullk outside and was filled in on the mission. Tullk and Kraglin were going to ‘recover’ something, and Abby had to keep the idiots who were supposed to be guarding it occupied. There was a signal and everything. Abby nodded along, understating her part, and even dressed a little more provocatively than her normal. 

“Are ya showing off for me?” Tullk asked with a flurry wink. Kraglin punched him in the back. 

“Pull it in, focus on the job,” Kraglin said. Abby chuckled and felt self-conscious. 

“It feels like a little much,” She said, smoothing the knee-length skirt she wore down again. She had leggings on under it, but she still felt exposed. She’d picked an off the shoulder shirt with ruffles and had pinned her hair in rings around her face. She knew how to dress to draw attention; she just really didn’t want to. 

“It’s fine,” Kraglin said, looking her over. He had that intense look in his eye, and it made her feel uneasy. “The more distracting, the better.” He grinned at her, and his sharp metal teeth glinted. “Besides, Yer purdy all dressed up.” He chuckled, and Tullk punched him this time. She rolled her eyes and began walking past them. 

Tullk and Kraglin chatted as they walked to the location, a non-decrepit warehouse nestled among others. They turned a few corners and then Abby didn’t. Hands pulled her down and against a wall. He reached for her knife, but another set of hands cracked her hard across the face—blue hands. 

“Check the collar to make sure,” The first Kree slaver said. The second pulled her scarf off, and she fought the hands that covered her mouth and held her like steal. 

“Yup, Pulhaim’s.” The second Kree confirmed. 

“Little idiot, out walking like you own the place.” The first Kree said. He pulled out a small remote and she heard it beep as is synced with her collar. “They never learn.” He pressed the button as her eyes went wide. Shock waves went through her and her eyes rolled hard in her head. She collapsed, bearly able to draw a breath. The slavers scooped her up and marched off, tossing a blanket over her so as not to draw too much attention as they left with their prize.

“Well shit,” Kraglin said when he and Tullk stood outside the warehouse blankly starring at the spot where Abby should have been. Tullk just held out his hand, and Kraglin placed three fat credit chips in it.

“So how much do yeh wanna bet she disabled the collar too?” Tullk grinned as he pocketed his winnings. 

“None,” Kraglin shot the gray man an irritated look. He pulled out his datapad, tired to pull the collar’s frequency, and failed. “Shit,” he said again. Tullk gave Kraglin a good-natured sidelong glance. 

“Do yeh wanna find her?” He said slyly. “I mean, it’s not the worst port in space fer us to leave her at?” 

Kraglin paused, not quite looking up from the datapad. Tullk was right. They should just write her off. She didn’t want to be with them, and well, she wasn’t really Ravager material. Sure she had a mean streak, but that wasn’t enough. A Ravager would have put him and Tullk out of commission, not just snuck off. Still, her stubborn streak was admirable, and she sure knew how to turn heads. 

“We’ll see what the Captain says,” Kraglin deflected. Tullk snorted beside him, and he felt a slight flush creep up his neck. 

Yondu tapped his hip, where the golden yaka arrow rested in a custom sheathe. One of the few objects he still had from his youth, the arrow served not only as his weapon of choice but as a touchstone when he needed grounding. The knowledge that he could summon it at will and send it shooting for any target he could sense helped. 

He’d left his long vest behind in his cabin, his captain’s crest fitted to the chest to a fitted vest. His heavy space boots traded in for more forgiving softer leather boots. He whistled as he waited for his first mate and Tullk to show up. 

“You just try and keep up, Kraglin,” Tullk was chiding. He’d traded his own long coat for a similar vest, though he was unadorned and just in the Ravager red. Kraglin rolled his eyes. He hadn’t changed out much beyond his boots. He still wore his flight suit, but it was burdened by a utility belt and a plethora of pockets. 

“This won’t be my first time in the wilderness,” Kraglin said, and Yondu smirked. Kraglin was surprisingly good at nature survival, though he was no tracker. For that matter, neither was Tullk, not compared to Yondu, but the gray man was a skilled bounty hunter and knew more than a few tricks. 

“Just stick with me, Kraglin,” Yondu said, giving Tullk a companionable smirk. “I won’t get you too lost.”

They stood at the edge of the port town, looking out at the man tall grass and the sparse trees. Tullk had managed to track Abby this far, but Yondu had told them to wait for him here. Abby had done an impressive job of making a beeline for the wilderness, a little too good. Yondu wondered who she had managed to contact in order to get picked up so fast. It didn’t matter though, but in the end, both he and Tullk were better skilled at man-hunting than she was at running.

Kraglin rolled his eyes behind his captain’s back. 

Yondu and Tullk examined the place where Abby had vanished into the tall grasses. Ideally, they should be able to follow her trodden path, but the further in the grass, the more likely they were to get lost. So was she, though. 

“Fifty credits we find her first,” Yondu said. He was itching to hunt, even if it was for a wayward slave. Tullk rolled his shoulders. 

“Make it a hundred, and you’re on.” Tullk knelt down and checked the trial they had followed this far. “She’s got friends with her?” Tullk looked up, and Yondu sucked his teeth. This was looking worse as he thought about it. 

“When she make friends off the ship?” Kraglin said skeptically. 

“She didn’t,” Yondu said. Kraglin clicked his tongue, and Tullk examined the tracks better. 

“I said we’d keep her safe from them,” Kraglin growled. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Yondu sighed. He didn’t like the idea of her getting snatched out from under him, and he didn’t like the idea that he’d have to tell Stakar he’d lost someone he’d rescued. Also, he might feel a little possessive of her, like he had of Quill. “Let’s get moving then.”


	10. Chapter 10

Abby finally felt her brain start to un-fog as the tall stalks of grains slapped at her head as she was carried through them. The constant digging of some one’s shoulder into her gut and the upside-down view she was enjoying told her she was being carried in a less than dignified manner. Her arms dangled down the back of the large Kree that had taken her from the alley.

A wave of panic threatened to seize her, and several things ran through her head all at once. She’d been captured, she hadn’t made it to the checkpoint where Yondu and the others were counting on her, and that Kraglin and Tullk might be in danger too because she hadn’t done her job. Her biggest fear was that Yondu would think that she’d abandoned them and didn’t want to be part of the ship any longer. 

She calmed her mind down as she bounced along, panicking wasn’t going to do her any good. As far she could tell, she wasn’t injured yet. Also, the Kree who had hold of her also carried a blaster in the small of his back. She was better with a knife, only because she was less afraid of shooting herself with it. She’d never been allowed to use a blaster before, but she knew which end went boom and that the trigger made it all work. Without thinking of her plan any further, she reached with her dangling arms cuffed together at the wrists and managed to get her hand wrapped around the handle of the blaster. 

She had a moment to worry that the blaster might be bio-coded before she pulled the trigger.

“What the -” and then the Kree carrying her collapsed in a screaming fit. She fell with him, rolling as fast as she could in any direction. She got her first confused glimpse of where she was. They'd taken her into the agricultural fields, high and ripe with whatever grain they were growing. The planet didn’t allow bounty hunting on it, not legally anyway, so the Kree would’ve had to of parked away from the regular spaceport to do what they needed. She struggled to get up to her feet and realize that those too had been bound. She swore creatively as the second Kree checked on his companion and was now tracking at her with a murderous look.

“They paid us to bring you and alive,” he snarled. “But you can live through a lot.” He started reaching down for her, and despite herself, she gave a screech and did her best to inchworm away through the tall grasses. Sure she looked ridiculous, but if she could just keep moving, maybe she could get away from him?

It wasn’t going to work. She barely got between two of the rows when the Kree closed his hands around the magna-shackles on her legs. She screamed again as she was lifted up, the stupid skirt she was wearing hanging upside down on her now. He gave her a rough shake batting her head back and forth between the grasses. 

“Fuck,” the other Kree screamed. “She shot my ass!”

“I told you wearing that stupid blaster back there was a bad idea,” the second Kree said, turning her and dragging her across the dirt towards the one she’d shot. 

“Fuck you,” the first Kree yelled again. “I can’t walk!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” the Kree dragging her said. “We’re not that far from the ship. Stay here. I’ll drop her off and come back and get you.”

“No, you won’t! You’ll just leave me here!” he said. He started to crawl, and the one dragging Abby just laughed.

“You’re a dumb ass.” He cackled as he dragged Abby along. The dry ground scraped at her back and shredded her shirt. She tried rolling to avoid the worst of the rocks and fallen stalks, but there wasn’t a lot she could do.

And then several things happened all at once.

There had been the ambient chirp of insects and the occasional bird, nothing that seemed out of place. Until there was one long shrill note that hung on the air, she briefly saw a glint of gold, and then the Kree dragging her jerked and staggered. He let go of her legs and fell face forward. She kicked out with her feet and rolled over, trying to crawl away, the Kree she’d shot yanked her to him.

“What the fuck did you do this time,” He raised a fist and two blaster bolts collided with his head. Gore exploded over her face, and she flopped backward into the dirt and just lay there a long moment. 

“That was my kill,” Tullk was saying as she heard footsteps approaching 

“In yer dreams, you can’t hit the broad side of a barn,” Kraglin said, then he swore. “Shit! We hit her!” 

There was a confusing moment as the two men rushed over. They both collapsed on her knees at the same time, and she struggled to sit up to look at them both. She felt icy cold despite the warm wet on her face. 

“Abby?” Kraglin asked, reaching up to wipe the mess on her face. She flinched and brought her hands up, knocking him away. She tried to scoot back more she didn’t have the balance or the purchase to do it. 

“What, did you shoot this one of the ass?” Yondu asked from his position over the other Kree. He looked up and over to them and read her face. He came over, shoving the two men aside. 

“Idiots, what did you do?” he grumbled, kneeling down in front of her. “You in their Abby?” he snapped his fingers in front of her face but didn’t reach to touch her.

She nodded nimbly, still not been able to find her voice. 

“I didn’t run away,” she said as soon as she could. Tullk and Kraglin looked at each other then back at Yondu. He ran his tongue over his teeth and sucked one gold tooth for a moment.

“No one thinks you did,” he said after a pause. She blinked her eyes rapidly; her heart was hammering too fast. 

“I wasn’t going to run either, I know you thought I was going to, but I wasn’t,” she managed to scrunch herself up into a ball without falling over. Hot tears began to leak out of her eyes. Which actually worked out for once since it was clearing the stickiness away. “It’s the stupid collar; they tracked me, even though I tried to turn the tracker off.”

“Told you so,” Tullk grumbled, and Kraglin punched him in the arm. 

“You- you thought I ran away?” she said, looking at the two of them. They stared at her like deer in the headlights. Kraglin was the first to speak.

“I actually bet you wouldn’t runoff,” he said then, he looked over at Tullk. “And I think you owe me 100 credits now?” he said. Tullk cracked a wide grin and shook his head. Digging a few chips out of his pocket and putting them in Kraglin’s outstretched hand. 

“I’mma take these damn restraints off you,” Yondu grumbled. He wouldn’t look at her as he worked on the magna-locks on her ankles. They popped off after a moment of fussing, and then he gestured for her lean forward so he could do her wrists. She shifted in the dirt, getting her legs under her and reaching out.

“Can’t you take the collar off to?” she asked as he made short work of the wrist restraints. They clanked to the ground harmlessly, and he sighed, putting one hand on his leg and looking up at her seriously.

“We’re taking the collar off you, but we don’t have what we need to remove it yet. We’re waiting on the admiral to bring us the collar cutters. But he had something he was wrapping up. It was going to be about two weeks. You got about a week of that left.” 

Abby blinked a few times and swallowed. “Why didn’t you just tell me that to start with?” she said, her brain to numb to watch what she was saying. His face got dark, and he looked away, standing up quickly.

“I don’t have to tell you shit. I’m the captain.” He started to walk away, kicking the Kree shot in the ass once on his way. “Get up and move, we got a payday to see if we can salvage.”

Kraglin helped her up and grimaced at her back. She tugged on the collar absently as she started to walk, and he put a hand on her shoulder. 

“Yer back’s pretty tore up,” He said. “Ah got some cream that’ll help clean it. Probably should get it on before we get too far.”

She bit her lip, as soon as he mentioned it, her back lit up on fire. 

“Make it quick,” Yondu said, stopping in the field, his red eyes scanning the sky. “They were making for their ship.”

“They said it wasn’t far,” She remembered. “I think there’s a third on the ship. 

“Probably, they work in trios,” Tullk joined his captain in watching the sky as Kraglin applied a far to cold cream to her hot back. She hissed uncomfortably each time he dabbed it on. 

“It’ll dull the pain too,” He said almost apologetically. 

“It’s just cold,” she said. “That’s all.”

“Ah so brave,” Tullk teased. She frowned at him, and he chuckled. “That look of murder you get is quite attractive on you.”

“Only you would think a face full of blood and brains is attractive,” she shook her head. 

“No, he’s not,” Kraglin patted her shoulder again. “All done.” 

She was briefly grateful for her dirty face as it hid her blush. Kraglin was far to nice to her sometimes, and Tullk was no better. It was too easy to like them. 

“Well, hell,” Yondu swore, pointing up. They all looked, and the trial of a ship could be seen. “Their gonna come this way in a moment.” He looked around. “Get to the tree line there!” He pointed to the far end of the field where a line of curly branched trees cut a line between properties. They all began to sprint, and she forced herself to run, even though she was falling behind. 

Yondu turned and grabbed her up as the Kree had, throwing her over his shoulders in a wrap-around carry. She grunted as the wind was knocked out of her when he ran, and even the numbing nature of the cream couldn’t cover the pain in her back. 

They all dove into the tree line as the Kree ship crested over the crops, it’s pointed head looking at them like an angry black bug. Yondu passed Abby off and turned to wait. He looked like he was evaluating something. 

“Just go, I can hide, and you can get away,” She said, the running and the jostling bring life back to her brain. 

“Nope,” Krgalin said, watching as well. Yondu gave it one moment more, then stepped back out into the field. He whistled sharp and shrill, and the golden arrow flew straight at the ship. “He was just waiting, s’all.” 

Abby watched as the slim golden object threaded through the hull of the ship fas and neat as a needle. The ship started to list to one side, and Tullk made a worried sound. 

“Uh, captain?” Tullk said, and then they were all running again as the massive ship crashed into the field and began to slide, plowing up crops as it bulldozed towards them. 

“Mah mistake!” Yondu hollered, scooping Abby up again as they ran. The ship dug up a few more yards of dirt till it finally stopped, and they slowed their run. All of them were painting and staring at the down vessel. It took a moment for them all to gather their wits, and Abby took a long shaky breath. 

“Not that I’m not grateful, but could I walk the rest of the way back?” She asked. Yondu looked at here from his crouched position and shook his head. 

“Women,” He said.


	11. Chapter 11

The ship’s doctor Sles was a creepy fellow who took far to much pleasure in examining her as he disinfected her back. Her nails bit into her palms painfully as he stroked her back, applying synth-skin to the gashes so they would heal clean. She was more used to this than she wanted to admit, and she feared the inevitable groping that usually followed.

“Wrap it up, Sles,” Kraglin growled, and the man chuckled.

“Oh, so protective?” Sles teased. Kraglin reached past her and cracked the man across his sharp, snouted face.

“Wrap it up,” Kraglin said again, and Sles said nothing else as he scanned her, declaring her fit for duty. They walked back to the room she was renting, and Kraglin jerked his head at it.

“Captain will talk to ya in a bit. Try and get some rest.”

“I’m sorry about the mission. I was worried that you and Tullk would be hurt because of me.” She kicked at the ground and picked at the ruined shirt. Kraglin gave her a complicated look, then a smirk, so like Yondu’s, it was disconcerting.

“Tullk and I aren’t worth our flames if we couldn’t handle that without you. Captain just likes to keep ya busy s’people don’t think yer leeching off us. Now get cleaned up, a woman in yer state might start a rutting riot, ” He chuckled a little and then left her standing there.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that exactly. And she couldn’t keep Kraglin’s little laugh out of her head as she stood in the shower cleaning off then getting dressed in comfortable pants and shirt.  
Yondu buzzed her door after she’d managed an hour of sleep. She was groggy when she let him in.

“You patched up?” He asked, leaning in her doorway. She nodded.

“Sles is creepy,” She said, sitting on her bed. She yawned, rubbing her face.

“Yup, but he’s the best we got fer now.” Yondu eyed her suspiciously. “He keep his hands to himself?”

“Kraglin punched him when he took too long.” She smiled at the memory. Yondu chuckled.

“Idoit’ll learn eventually.” He sniffed and pushed away from the door, looking like he was going to leave.

“I’m not useless,” She said, and he froze. “And I’m not going to run away if you really mean to help me.”

“What makes ya say all that?” He looked her over again. “Kraglin, run his mouth?”

“He says you’re just keeping me busy, so people don’t think I’m freeloading.”

“He ain't wrong,” Yondu sucked his teeth. “But I don’t think yer useless. I think yer lacking certain skills that crew as mine have.”

“Like killing?” She said. He chuckled.

“Nah, I know you can do that. But do ya have it in ya to shoot first and walk away unbothered?”

She bit her lip thinking about that. Protecting herself was one thing, but outright murder?

“There’s other things yer good for. Stealing, distracting, running yer mouth.” He laughed. “You’ve actually prevented me from having ta shoot my way through a few jobs, just because their attention was elsewhere.”

“You have other women on the ship,” She was confused. Yondu nodded.

“Yeah, but they’re a little too rugged. You look soft.”

“I just got done at the rejuvenator when you found me.” She rubbed her arms like she was cold. It hurt having your body forcibly de-aged. Yondu thought about that a moment, then nodded.

“Well, it’s a good disguise.” He tapped the arrow under his jacket. “If yer in working condition, I’ll put ya back at it tomorrow.”

“I’d like that,” She said, and he nodded.

“Get yer rest then, I’mma keep ya busy some more.”

***

Every day for the next week they landed on a new planet, and each time Yondu had a mission for her, this time giving her new people to work with. She didn’t see Kraglin or Tullk much that week, but she did have several opportunities to grab a few quick trinkets. Mostly jewelry or lose credits.

Fencel, a mountain of a woman seemed to take a liking to her and taught her how to fence the little things she was stealing. It put actual credits in her pocket, and each one made her feel a little freer.

When she snatched an adorable yellow crystal cat figurine and showed it to Fencel she laughed.

“Captain would like that, he’s got a thing for gaudy things like that.”

“It’s not gaudy,” Abby rolled the shinny arched back cat in her hands. The light caught in the cut of the crystal and made it look like little lighting bolts were bounding off it.

“To each their own,” She said. “You could butter him up with that I bet.”

“The captain?” The thought had never occurred to her. Maybe it should have. Was she being rude not giving the captain a cut of what she was stealing?

She put the cat in a small box and set it outside the door of Yondu’s quarters with a note. She was too embarrassed to just hand it to him. He never said anything to her about it, but she did notice it sitting on her chair at dinner later that evening. He stroked it with a finger as he made eye contact with her. It was awkward.

“Told you,” Fencel said. Abby concentrated on her plate. She didn’t eat at the table with Yondu and the others anymore either. She was a little sad about that, but at the same time, she understood how rank and having a place in the pecking order worked. She was just some rescued slave, no one int he grand scheme of the ship. “Keep that up and he might let you stay. Then we can work on getting you a flame.”

“A flame?” Abby knew not everyone on the ship had one, but most of the veteran crew did. Fencel was one.

“Yeah, you’ll have to earn it of course, once that collar is off you.” She swung her drink around gesturing wildly. “But after that, you’ll be one of us, a Ravager!”

Abby smiled as she thought about it. It didn’t sound bad, but she bearly talked to Yondu anymore, How would she go about convincing him to let her stay after the collar was gone?

***

“So she got ya a gift?” Kraglin looked over the crystal cat on Yondu’s desk. It stood out from the other clutter only because it was front and center.

“Left it in a box outside the door, said it was my cut of her profits.” Yondu snorted a laugh. “Who put that thought in her head?”

“Not me,” Kraglin cracked his neck and sat down with his datapad. “Think she know’s that’s giginium?”

“Nope,” Yondu looked at the crystal again. The damn thing was worth a pretty credit. She could have hawked it and had more than enough credits to run free through the universe for a while. That she didn’t know that bothered him more than it should.

“Whatcha gonna do about it?” Kraglin asked, not looking up from his datapad. Yondu sucked his tooth. It figured Kraglin would notice, just like Yondu had.

“Not a damn thing,” Yondu said. Kraglin snorted his own laugh.

“That why ya stopped her running missions with Tullk and Me?” He did look up now. There was a small challenge in his smokey blue eyes, Yondu didn’t like it.

“Maybe I wanted to see how she worked with others,” He said. Kraglin rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. “What? All you were doing was staring at her ass.”

“It’s a nice ass,” Kraglin said with a shrug. “And if I was after it, moving her to another shift wouldn’t be enough to stop me.” There was that challenge again. Yondu narrowed his eyes.

“It won’t matter in two cycles anyway. Stakar’s ready to meet. He’ll pop the collar and take her to the rehabilitation satellites around Earth.” He should feel relief about it, but he didn’t. It was that stupid soft spot for Terrans he had. Kraglin didn’t look overly excited either.

“She’s good to have on board, she’s fast on her feet and adaptable. We don't’ have many people we can send undercover like we could with her.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yondu had thought of that. He was still rebuilding his crew and trying to do a better job of it this time. He wasn’t a renegade Ravager Captain anymore, he could have his pick of crew now. He just had to pick them. “Oh enough!” Yondu waved his hands in the air energetically. “Two standard days it won’t matter. She’s gonna go back to Earth and things will settle down here.”

Krgalin just shook his head and said nothing.

***

The last mission she and Fencel ran ended with them both near an intergalactic novelty shop. Abby’d never been in one and dragged Fencel in with her. She had credits on her and she wanted to see what she could find from Earth. 

“That’s contraband,” Fencel wagged a massive finger at Abby. “You’ll get in trouble.” She clicked her tongue. Abby laughed and browsed. Fencel found several random things she likes, small stuffed animals, colored markers, stickers, and three colorful boot knives. 

Abby found a treasure trove.

“What are they?” Fencel asked as Abby hovered trance-like over the many boxes of foil-wrapped bars. 

“Chocolate,” Abby moaned. “Terran Chocolate.” She hadn’t had it since she was ten, but she remembered it being one of the best things she’d ever tasted. It was tempting to buy all of them, but she knew that was foolish. 

“Is it good?” Fencel eyed the candy bars curiously. 

“Very.” Abby grabbed one of each kind the shop was selling. Fencel followed suit and munched one as they left the store. 

“Crunchy,” She said as she chewed up a peanut and chocolate bar. Abby held her bag close to her chest and nodded. “I like the brown stuff.”

“That’s the chocolate,” Abby said rocking happily. She rushed back to her room and emptied the bag on her bed, lining each of the ten bars next to each other admiring her chocolate hoard like a dragon. She was trying to remember what

each bar was like before she decided which to eat first. 

Yondu buzzed outside her room. 

“Come in,” She called out, not looking up. He stepped in and looked puzzled at what she was doing. Sitting crossed-legged on her bed, different candy bars arrayed in front of her. 

“What’re you doing?” He asked fully confused. 

“Picking one to start with,” She said, still not breaking her attention form the shinny foil packages. 

“You gonna eat them all in one go?” He asked moving closer, seeing her attention was focused. He smirked and reached down, but her hand snaked around his wrist as she closed over the bar that said *Mars*. Her eyes finally rested on him, and he read pure murder in them. “Damn girl! You like them this much, I’ll buy you a whole crate!” He laughed and let the candy go patting his leg. 

She snatched up the bar and tore the wrapper, biting ferally into it, and then rolling her eyes as the taste of chocolate and Carmel mixed in her mouth. She thought she might have groaned, and then she pressed her lips together, licking all the sweet bits from them. When she refocused on the room she was smiling and Yondu was looking like he really wanted a bite too, of her. 

“Damn women,” He said on an exhale. “Don’t eat those around my men.”

Abby blushed slightly and held the candy up to him. 

“Sorry, it’s been a while,” She said. She uncoiled form the bed and stood still offering the candy to him. “Try it.”

Yondu looked warily at the candy bar and then back at her. He looked uncertain. Like he wasn’t sure he wanted to experience what she had.

“Maybe in the privacy of my room,” He said, she smiled and pressed. 

“Just try it, I- I overreacted,” She looked away slightly but held the candy up. He took it and took a decent sized bit of it. Chewing cautiously his eyes locked on her as he did so. Then he smiled. 

“Terrans,” he said handing the rest of the bar back. 

“It’s good right!” She said eagerly eating the rest of the candy and turning to sweep the rest back into her satchel. 

“Tasty,” he said. “You’re not going to go all gooey on me again?”

“What did you want?” She asked with a laugh, polish off the bar and crumpling the wrapper into her pocket. 

“Were landing on Eiter soon, I want you to come with me.”

“What am I stealing this time?” She asked. 

“Nothing we're meeting a friend to get that collar off you,” Yondu said. Abby looked at him. His face was blank, he was watching her. 

“For real?” 

“Yup,” He said. 

Abby felt her eyes tear up, but she squashed it and cleared her throat, grabbing a bottle of water she kept at hand. 

“That’s great,” She managed after a few gulps. 

“Yup,” he said grinning. 

“Then what?” she asked. 

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“We don’t really have a deal past the collar coming off.” She looked around the room. 

“I don’t see why things have to change, you keep working for us, pulling your weight, you can stay.” His communicator beeped and he looked down at the message. “Up to you, I guess. We’re landing now.” He moved to the door and opened it, pausing before ducking out. “If you want to go back to Earth, Stakar can probably take you.” He stepped out letting the door close behind him.

Abby looked at the closed door, her mouth a little open. She wanted to go back to Earth more than anything, didn’t she? 


	12. Chapter 12

Either was in a full-on spring. It’s air scented heavily with flowers and some kind of fruit that Yondu, Kraglin, and Tullk each told her not to eat. By the time Oblo started to tell her not to try it, she just glared at him. 

“I got it the first three times, thanks,” She said. Oblo grimaced and stepped away. She got the feeling he was scared of her. She followed them to an open area between two massive M-ships. A group of men stood around the clearing, all of them wearing Ravager colors, the insignia one she hadn’t seen yet. 

“Udanta,” The large man who looked like the leader called out to them. Beside him as a man who looked like he was made out of crystal. Abby couldn’t help staring at him briefly as colors pulsed through his skin. They saluted Yondu as he approached, and he and his honor guard did the same. 

“Stakar,” Yondu said. Then they smiled broadly and embraced slapping each other and laughing. The same thing repeated with the crystal man. Abby smiled to herself. The Ravagers were a violent bunch, but emotional too. They valued their friendships and were unashamed to show it. 

“What are you up to you blue bastard?” Stakar asked. 

“I need the collar off this one,” Yondu said gesturing for Abby to come forward. “She’s mouthy.” He said as way of introducing her. 

“I’m Abby,” she said crossing her arms. Stakar smirked. 

“And a Terran,” Stakar said giving Yondu a sideways glance. “You really do have a soft spot for them.” Yondu shrugged but said nothing. 

“Whys everyone acting like being Terran is so special? Don’t you travel the Galaxy? Haven't’ you run into my kind before?” Abby said. The crystalline guy shot her a sharp look and she realized she’d snapped at someone important. Stakar didn’t seem phased. 

“Terran’s usually only make it to space one way,” Stakar said reaching into his pocket for a small black clip. It was roughly the length of her finger and the width of her collar. “So yeah, I’ve run into a few of your kind.” 

She looked up from the object to his face. 

“What are they like?” She asked. Then snapped her mouth shut as Stakar grinned at her. 

“Most of them are-,” He looked like he was choosing a different word then he’d originally meant. “Better off back on Terra.” He held up the black device. “Unwrap your scarf. We’re going to get that collar off you now.”

She took a deep breath and unwound the soft gray scarf that Yondu had given to her. The collar suddenly felt heavy and sharp on her skin and she tugged at it. Stakar handed the device to Yondu and gestured for him to do the honors. Yondu’s face went blank, and he stepped up to her and tilted her chin up some. 

“This might burn a bit,” He said clipping the device onto the collar. She felt him press something. Then the whole thing heated up fast. She gasped at the sudden heat, and it burned like hell. Then just as fast it started, it was over, and a limp weight laid around her shoulders. Yondu stepped back his face still carefully blank like it had been at the clinic. She reached up and pulled at the remains of the collar that had encircled her neck for nearly as many years as she could remember. 

She held it up before her face and just stared at it. 

“It’ll still broadcast a signal,” Stakar said. “So get rid of it. Unless you want to use it like bait.” He gave Yondu a look. The blue man pursed his lips and shrugged. “I’ve got a whole crate of them for you.”

“I wasn’t planning on slaver raids,” Yondu said. Stakar shrugged, and the motion was so similar it was eerie. “I suppose if one happens, then it’s good to have these on hand though.” Yondu scratched his chin. 

“Just in case,” Stakar said. 

“Just in case,” Yondu agreed. 

“Now, If you want to go back to Terra, we can take you. Should only be a few days at best.” Stakar said to Abby. 

Abby bit back her almost automatic response. She dropped the collar on the ground and ground it into the dirt. She was right and truly free. No more collar, no more tracking. Did she really want to go back to Earth? Right now?

“I do want to go,” She said and caught the wince in Kraglin’s eyes. Yondu said nothing and gestured for his men to take the crate and head back to the ship. 

“But?” Stakar said with a slight smile tugging the corner of his mouth. 

“But I’ve got this rental agreement with Captain Yondu,” she said. “And I’m kinda having fun.”

Stakar grinned wide and laughed a deep resonating laugh. Kraglin brightened up and she felt a little happy about that. 

“Watch out,” He said. “Keep up that attitude and you’ll being wearing Yondu’s crest before too long.”

“We’ll see about that,” Yondu said looking at Kraglin with a disapproving look. Abby didn’t understand it, and right then she didn’t care. She was excited to get back to the ship and start her real adventure. Yes, it was selfish, but she was allowed to be selfish now. She was Free!


	13. Chapter 13

Time passed on the ship. Planets came and went, and though that part of Abby’s life hadn’t changed much, the freedom she had did. She interacted with the crew on the ship, learned their names, started to befriend them. Though only four months into her journey with the Ravagers, she felt like she’d been traveling much longer. She fit in quickly, learning how to navigate the tricky personalities of the crew, and managed to only piss a handful of folks off. The fistfights, though, were perhaps one of her favorite things about the ship.

She grinned through each one, feeling the rush of an exchange of blows and the chance to use her own body as a weapon. It felt good to have some kind of physical contact that wasn’t intended to either creep her out or make her feel uncomfortable. It was just plain attack and defend, and usually ended in a round of drinks.

Those times, when the crew would wager and cheer while they all took turns fighting, were the times she noticed Kraglin noticing her. He’d get a look to him that she knew well. She’d spent time in the gladiator pits as a reward prize for the winners. There had been another of his species there who had favored her. He’d get the same look to him. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it. Usually, when people lusted so openly over her, it repulsed her. The hungry look in Kraglin’s eyes didn’t. She was silently grateful that they weren’t interacting much anymore. She wasn’t sure she was ready for what he seemed to offer.

The fistfights served another purpose as well. She wanted to impress the Captain. The idea of getting a flame intrigued her. She knew Yondu didn’t think she was mean enough to be a Ravager, and she thought seeing her fight would change his mind. It didn’t. If anything, it seemed to irritate him, so she stopped fighting - as much.

Still, she wanted to do something really impressive, something that would really grab Yondu’s attention. She knew he had a list. Things he wanted the Ravagers to keep an eye out for when they were out on missions and such, things that had a high value on and off the black market. She skimmed it frequently whenever they landed, always keeping an eye out for the items, going as far as to research them individually to understand what she was looking for.

It was one such item that caught her attention now.

“400,000,” Yondu was telling the gathered men. His hand rested on a crate that she knew contained some high tech thing. This was a deal Yondu had been organizing for weeks now since he grabbed the thing from a passing Nova Corp cargo vessel. He’d brought her along with Kraglin as backup, which meant he didn’t think this was going to be too risky a job. She did her best to stand back and be inconspicuous and just watch and listen. Yondu had begun to include her on negotiations, seeing that she picked up on the ebb and flow of them quickly. Kraglin stood on Yondu’s other side with his dead-eyed scowl that if you didn’t know him better, it would make you think twice about pissing him off.

The group Yondu was negotiating with this time were about a bright as broken lights. He had to repeat himself several times before they understood what he was saying. To stave off the boredom of the shop talk, she looked around the warehouse. Taking in the surroundings and counting the places she’d hide if she was trying to escape, or places to hide an ambush.

Then she spotted it amid the junk in a crate, just hanging out there.

She gave Kraglin a sideways look, trying to show him with her eyes what she saw. He gave her a confused glare but didn’t move. Figuring that Yondu had the tech buyers distracted, she inched over to the crate and casually poked at it, revealing the yellowed metal case.

If it was the right thing, It held an electronic ledger that had the numbers for the infamous intergalactic bookie Hoggle. He was offering a huge reward for the ledger, and the names of the guys who stole it. She knew he wasn’t going to get the names, some other faction of Ravagers had stolen the ledger, but now that it was out on the market, it was fair game again. She managed to quietly snag it and ducked into one of the hiding spaces she’d located earlier. Quietly she slid the case open and felt her heart speed up when she saw the ledger. Taking a steadying breath, she tapped the screen on and tapped the confirmation code Hoggle had given to validate the ledger. It didn’t let her into anything but did bring up the information screen, with the data identifying it as Hoggle’s. She grinned wide to herself, closed the case, and slipped the whole thing into her satchel.

When she reemerged, trying to look casual, she could tell things were not going well, since Yondu and Kraglin both had blasters drawn.

“There! What the fuck is she doing?” The head tech negotiator shouted.

“I had to piss!” she shouted, raising her hand. “You’ve all been yammering so long I about wet myself! Do you want the fucking crate or not?”

The head guy looked momentarily shocked, then slowly lowered his blaster. The looked from Yondu to the crate and back to her position.

“Yeah, I want the fucking crate,” He said, lowering his blaster all the way.

“Transfer the credits, and we’re gone,” Yondu said, still holding his at the ready. The tech tapped a small device that looked wired into his arm. Yondu’s pocket chirped, and he slowly removed his own com unit and confirmed the funds were there.

“Nice do’n business with yah,” He said, his jagged tooth grin spreading over his face. He lowered his weapon and walked past Kraglen, who waited till his Captain was past before walking backward to follow them out. Yondu glared at her as he passed, and she kept her face looking irritated, but felt her heart freeze. He was pissed at her.

They just made it out the door when he grabbed her arm.

“What the fuck were you doing in there?” He growled as he pulled her along. “You nearly screwed that whole thing up!”

“I know, I’m sorry,” She said, wincing at his grip.

“Captain,” Kraglin said form beside them, and then he turned firing a few blasts. Yondu swore, pulled a small flash-bang device from his pocket, and tossed it towards the men coming out of the warehouse. It went off with a spectacular display of light and noise. By the time it stopped, the three of them were running for the far end of the town.

“Imma gonna flail the skin off yer back when we get back, Abby!” Yondu hollered at her, his accent so strong it was almost unintelligible. She said nothing and just ran. They passed a group of Yondu’s Ravagers, Tullk, among them, enjoying the limited downtime on the planet.

“Cover!” Yondu hollered. “Non-lethal!” He spun to face the oncoming men as his crew fell in behind him, raising their weapons. The small handful of men chasing them froze as the street cleared of civilian shoppers who sensed bad news going down. He flipped back his coat showing his arrow; a red ripple of light ran over his fin. The men stood, calculating their chances. They didn’t know he’d ordered non-lethal force. “Been nice doing business with you, boys,” Yondu called out, making his offer clear.

“We want it back, Udnata!” the head tech shouted, coming forward of his men.

“I don’t know what yer talk’n about,” Yondu said. Tilting his head slightly. “And unless you think you can take it from us, you best head back to your hanger.”

“Damn it, Undanta! Every fucking time!” The head tech said, stomping his foot like a petulant child.

“Whelp, stop leaving things out then,” Yondu said, this time with a crooked smile. The tech growled something, shook his fist at Yondu, and then turned in a rage and shoved his men out of his way as he walked away. The rest of the tech guy’s men stood looking confused and unsure of what to do. Yondu sucked his teeth and whistled. His arrow leaping to life and whizzing in the air around them, motivating them to follow their boss back to the warehouse. Without turning, he recalled his arrow and signaled for his crew to return to the ship. “Not you,” he said, snagging Abby’s arm as she turned. “You got some explaining to do.”

He marched behind his crew, pulling her along, Kraglin following behind them. When they got to the ship, he pulled her with him to his room, shouting to Kraglin to get them airborne. He didn’t exactly throw her into his room, but almost. He was still so angry at her; he was practically vibrating. He paced a few times, taking off his duster and folding it with more force than necessary over his desk chair.

Abby’d never been in his room before, and despite four months of freedom, she fell instantly back in old habits. She stood hunched, her head and eyes downcast, her lips tightly pressed. She tried to make herself small as he paced his temper off. She wondered if he meant what he’d said about flailing her. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d been whipped for pissing her masters off.

“Stop standing there like I’m some jackass slave master.” He growled. “Pull your fucking spine up.” She jerked her head up, not fully aware she’d done that. He was standing still for the moment, tapping his booted foot, his arms crossed over his chest and glaring at her.

“You’re not going to whip me?” She asked, still ready to be hit somehow. She was amazed at herself, why was she behaving like this?

“Do I look like I have a whip?” He said, his red eyes narrowing. “What the fuck did you steal?”

She blinked at him. Then Shook herself and reached in o her satchel and pulled out the yellow ledger case. He looked at it, confused for a moment, then blinked.

“Hoggle’s ledger?” He said, unfolding his arms, his frown twitching. “Did you verify it?”

“Yes,” She said, holding it up to look at it again. She couldn’t help but smile as she opened the case enough to put the code in a second time. She turned it around so he could see the verification screen. His ruby eyes stayed narrowed, but his lopsided grin was twisting his lips. He reached out to take it, and she pulled it back against her chest. “No.” She crossed her arms over it. This was the most valuable thing she’d ever stolen, and as she’d almost lost her ass over it, she wasn’t about to just hand it over.

Yondu looked momentarily confused as she stood there. Then he ran his tong over his teeth.

“No, eh? You nearly cost me four hundred thousand credits.” He moved closer to her, and she stepped back reflexively. What the fuck was she doing? Her mind screamed. When the fuck did she become afraid of him like this? He noticed it too, and a dark look passed through his eyes. He stepped back.

“I,” she started, then paused. Her mind was racing, too much adrenaline to think clearly. “Give me a second,” she shook her head. He did, crossing his arms and tilting his head. He was right, and she had almost cost him the sale. The ledger would have made up for it, but now he had both. “I want a cut,” she finally said. “And I want my own account.” Up to this point, the credits she had she carried with her. But she knew most of the men had accounts, and that’s where their shares of the loot went. She wanted that too.

“What you gonna do with all them credits,” he asked, even a stingy five percent cut would be more credits than she could carry or hide in her small room. He didn’t seem to like the idea. She looked him hard in his eyes.

“What business of yours is it? I want a cut and an account,” She found her spine, slipping the ledger back into her satchel. He’d have to come through her to get it, and she wagered he wouldn’t do that. He tapped his tong on his golden tooth. He was looking her over, reading her posture.

“Ten percent,” He said, holding her eyes. She blinked slowly once. That was twice what she’d expected. Bracing herself, she smirked at him.

“Twenty-five,” she countered. He grinned wide.

“You’re not even a crew member,” He reminded her. “Twelve.”

“You and Kraglin walked right past it,” she pointed out. “Twenty-five.” She tilted her chin up.

“You nearly got us killed,” Yondu said, pointing a finger at her. “Fifteen is generous!”

“I bluffed him into finally shutting up and paying you; Twenty is as low as I go.” She patted the satchel. “Or I cash it in myself, and keep it all.”

He blinked at her. He was calculating if she actually knew how to do that without help. She’d been on the ship a while, most of the crew knew how to do it, they just didn’t have his connections. He couldn’t know for sure she didn’t know, and so she fouled her own arms and stuck her chest out confidently. She was good at misdirection, but she’d never bluffed someone like Yondu before. He folded his arms again, staring her down. She met his eyes and didn’t waver, staring games she was definitely good at. A long moment passed, and then he let out an exasperated sigh.

“Fine, Twenty,” He agreed, waving a hand in the air.

“And an account,” she said. His eyes flashed again. She could tell he didn’t like that part.

“And an account,” He growled.

“Now,” She said. He cocked his head and frowned at her.

“You don’t trust me?” He said low, dangerously. She mostly trusted him. She just knew he’d take his time doing it if she let him, and she didn’t, no couldn’t, live on his schedule. She smirked at him.

“I trust you; I just want to verify it with my own eyes.”

He sucked his teeth and turned to the consul in his room. He sat with a huff into his chair, and the screen came alive. She walked up behind him, keeping at arm's length. He ignored her presence, and typed a few things in by hand, then an alien’s face popped up. It looked like a living crystal, like Stakar’s first mate, but more purple in color. It glowed in definite patterns as Yondu told it to set up an account and transferred roughly half of what her take would be into it.

“You’ll get the rest after we sell the damn thing,” He told her before she could ask. “Put your hand here,” he said, gesturing to a biometric pad on his consul. She looked at him dubiously, and he held her gaze. This was becoming a test, and she wasn’t sure what the outcome was going to be if she didn’t pass it. She put her left hand down on the pad and felt the tingle of scanner laser as it read her palm, her veins, and her pulse rate. Yondu said nothing and gestured for her to step aside. The crystal-like alien glowed something that must have been a confirmation, and Yondu clicked off.

“Pull it up on your pad,” he said, gesturing to the account number now displayed on his screen. She did so, with only one small shake of her hand. The pad automatically read her hand as she held it, and the account information scrolled over her pad. She blinked and smiled, feeling a strong wave of relief and emotion. She cleared her throat and slid her pad back into her satchel, pulling out the ledger and holding it out to him. He looked at it like it was something offensive now, but took it from her.

“I just wanted to impress you,” She said lamely, then turned and left before he could say anything back.

***

Yondu sat with the yellow ledger case in hand. Right now he wanted to throw it across the room and smash it into pieces. Instead, he sat it down on his desk and looked at the newly created account number. It bothered him, no it scared him. And that admission pissed him off. He hadn’t felt like this when He’d set up Peter’s account. Just the opposite. He was proud to give the boy his shares, proud the boy was able to maintain it, fill it, and keep himself supplied with credits all on his own. Proud Pappa, Kraglin had called him when he’d crowed about it later to his first mate. 

This was different. This had been an unspoken test, and he was terribly afraid that he’d failed it. He knew why she wanted the account, why she wanted her share. It was freedom, freedom from dependence. Dependence on him. He sat back and growled at the number on his screen. There were several things he could do to screw this up for her, or just monitor it without her knowing. He looked at the palm scanner, it still held her Palm image. She didn’t know enough about all this to have been properly cautious. What was more, she fucking trusted him. He growled again and scrubbed a hand over his face. He’d set her account up with triple layers of security, and the Skyliex would fry their own systems before letting anyone hack them. He’d seen it happen. With one sweep and click, he cleared out any information on his consul about her account and erased the image of her palm form the scanner. She fucking trusted him, and he wanted to live up to that trust. 

He swore again, louder and more colorfully. He had a bad feeling about all this.


	14. Chapter 14

Abby was practically jumping with joy when she got back to her room and looked at her account. The credits didn’t matter, it was the account itself. It was freedom! It was power! She didn’t have to carry everything she owned with her, it could be safe, and ready for her when she wanted it. She hugged the pad to her chest and rolled happily on her bed. 

The credits were another thing entirely. Twenty percent of the cut was going to be a massive amount! She could buy a small home in the Nova Prime district and live off the credits for years! She could buy her own small ship and sail through space on her own adventures! She could stay here too, pay rent here till she was old and ready to retire. and Yondu had helped her.

She paused a moment to process that, she could tell he hadn’t liked the idea. Still, he’d opened it, and if she understood half of it, he’d made it pretty secure. She held the pad up and glanced at it like the image of a lover. It was more than she had a right to expect, yet here it was. A small chime went off on her pad, telling her it was dinner time. She cleared her pad and put it away, then rummaged through her stack of earth candy bars. She found a gold-wrapped one declaring itself dark chocolate with Carmel filling. Smiling, she took it with her.

***

Despite Yondu rarely running her on missions with Tullk and Kraglin, they managed to still socialize. Oblo seemed particularly friendly with her, and Fencel, more Fencel really. Since she didn’t eat at the captain’s table anymore they all gathered around a table nearby where she and Fencel could be close to Tullk, Kraglin and Oblo when Yondu wasn’t at the meals. So tonight his table was empty. This put an odd damper on her mood, but she managed to shake it off as she joined Tullk and Oblo, and Kraglin at their table. 

“You’re looking particularly pleased tonight,” Tullk said winking, “get laid?” Kraglin choked on his food, and Oblo laughed heartily. 

“Not exactly,” she said with a wink, “it’s much better.”

“Have to be pretty damn good to beat getting laid,” Tullk said. “There’s this whore on Baslore that I’d pay prime credits for. She does this thing with her tongue,” Tullk begin to demonstrate with his fingers and his own tongue and Kraglin and

Oblo watched in horrified fascination. Abby just rolled her eyes and ate. 

“I’d pay credits to see that,” Oblo said. His head turned almost completely sideways trying to envision it. Kraglin nodded, his lips pulled back in disgust. 

“So what’s better than that!” Tullk said laughing at the others after his demonstration. 

“I got an account,” She said keeping her voice low, but her smile was wide and bright. The three men didn’t quite react the way she’d expected and she frowned at them. “What?”

“Nothing!” Tullk said, the first to recover his stunned gaping look. “That’s, uh- good!”

“Captain know?” Kraglin asked. 

“Captain set it up for me,” She said sitting back and eating further, it was some kind of gravy and meat pie swimming with small pea-like veggies in a variety of colors. She imagined she’d get tired of the gravy based meals the cook seemed to prefer eventually, but not anytime soon. She looked up from her dinner to see the men staring at her dumbstruck. Now she put her spoon down and glared at them. “Fucking what?”

“Captain set the account up for you?” Kraglin said looking almost as horrified as he had for Tullk’s demonstration. 

“Yes.”

“Did yah hold him at blaster point?” 

“Yes Kraglin, I held Yondu Udanta at gunpoint till he opened an account for me,” she crossed her arms. “How fucking stupid is that?”

“So he just opened you an account then?” Tullk said. She just glared at him and he raised his hands placating. “Its just not the Captain’s nature is all!”

“We might have negotiated a bit,” She said relenting.

“This got anything to do with whatever it was you stole today from the Grekken Brothers?” Kraglin asked. Seeming to relax into her statement. 

“Yes,” She said. “Captain has it now.” She began eating again. 

“Was it worth it?” Kraglin asked picking up his drink and seemingly regaining his composure. She smiled nodded, her mouth full. “Well, that’s good to know.”

***

“Heard you set her up an account,” Kraglin said as he entered the captain's quarters for their regular debriefing. 

“News travels fast,” Yondu said. He didn’t look happy about it. 

“She told us over dinner. Wondered why you was skipping this time.” Kraglin sat at the small table in the corner of the office. Yondu’s dinner plates were still set out, and mostly untouched. Kraglin said nothing about that. 

“Who’s ‘us’?” Yondu asked, still not looking at his first mate. 

“Tullk, Oblo, me.” Kraglin pushed the mostly full plates away and set his digital pad down. “Wanna tell me what she stole?”

“Hoggle’s Ledger,” Yondu held it up, and Kraglin jolted. He came across the room took it and entered the verification code. “I’ve already checked it twice. It’s real.”

“Star shit on rice paper! This is what she was trying to tell me?” Kraglin said holding the third most wanted item on Yondu’s list in his hands. It was worth almost three times what they sold those tech crates for. 

“She told you about it?” Yondu looked at Kraglin now, and he didn’t look happy. 

“She - uh-, she like, nodded at something right before she slipped off. But I couldn’t tell what she was on about.” Kraglin felt his mouth go dry. “Shit Yondu, I couldn’t understand her.”

“Time to fix that shit,” Yondu said. He stood and paced. “She demanded twenty percent of the take.”

“That’s pretty low,” Kraglin said. He’d have asked for at lest fifty.

“She ain't ready to be on her own,” Yondu tapped his fist on the table. “She’s fast and deadly, has a keen eye and wit, but she don’t know how any of this works. Fuck Kraglin, ah could’ve set her up an account that went straight back to me, and she’d have know not’n!” He tapped his fit again. “But now she’s got an account and credits, she could leave tomorrow and vanish. Not’n ah could do.”

“She says she’s leaving?” Kraglin asked, rolling the ledger in his hands. He watched Yondu go through this the first time Quill had run off. The difference was, Yondu wanted Quill to eventually make it on his own. He wasn’t so sure that’s what Yondu wanted for Abby. 

“No she ain't said she’s leaving, but why the fuck else does she want credits and an account?” Yondu said. 

“Same reason I do, it’s mine, and I get to use it the way I want,” Kraglin said. “You don’t get worked up over me leaving.”

“You ain't leaving me,” Yondu said, but didn’t look that sure all of a sudden. Kraglin had a shocking moment of clarity and almost sat down. Yondu was scared of him leaving. He swallowed a lump. 

“Nah, Captain, I ain't.” Kraglin sat the ledger down and put a hand on Yondu’s shoulder. Their height difference was clear, though the larger then life Ravager Captain seemed like a mountain, he was dwarfed by his first mate. He still managed to make him seem like he was actually looking down. Kraglin smiled and shook his shoulder lightly. He looked like he was about to do something more, then cleared his throat. “And she ain't leaving either, I think.”

“You think?” Yondu grimaced. 

“Sure, she likes it here, we’re her friends.” Kraglin gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Yondu tilted his head slightly but didn’t seem to be buying it. 

Overenthusiastic bagging on the door drew their attention and Yondu snarled, almost happy to have a new distraction. He slammed his hand into the slide button and the door hissed open.

“What!” He yelled into the hall. Abby stepped back at the angry greeting. She recovered quickly, and as Yondu registered who he’d yelled at she slapped the candy bar she’d had in hand into his chest.

“Fuck you!” she hollered back and then stormed off down the hall. Yondu watched her go and looked down at the gold-wrapped chocolate bar, Caromaello, it said in fancy Terran writing. He turned back to his room still stunned at the whole exchange. Kraglin looked shocked but amused. Yondu held the candy up and gestured at it shaking his head slowly. 

“Oops?” Kraglin said. 

“Fuck oops,” Yondu said. storming after her, leaving Kraglin in his room.

***

Abby sat down on her bed with a huff. The day was a roller-coaster of mood swings, and it wasn’t even her fault, mostly. Her stomach had been roiling since dinner, and she didn’t know why her nerves were screwed up. She should be happy, and why the fuck was Yondu yelling at her? Hadn’t she found him exactly what he wanted? She had a few moments to try and figure it out when the link on her door chimed. 

“Come in,” she said from her bed, her stomach clenching up again. Yondu stormed in still holding the candy bar. 

“What the fuck was that? A drive-by Fuck You?” He pushed the button to close the door to her room, and she felt a little light-headed.

“What the fuck was with how you answered the door?” She said flailing her arms. “What the hell did I do?”

“I didn’t know it was you,” He said, sounding a little embarrassed. 

“So you always answer your door that way?” She said crossing her arms and frowning. 

“I can answer my door any damn way I want, I’m the captain!” 

“Ok Captain, what are you so pissed about now?” She tapped her foot in the air as her feet didn’t reach the ground. He narrowed his ruby eyes at her and managed not to swear again. He paced a minute and then slid a hand up and over his bald head just skimming his artificial fin. 

“You ain't ready to be on your own,” he blurted out without looking at her. 

“What?” She sat up straight. That had been the furthest thing from her mind. 

“You ain't ready to be out there on your own, there’s a ton of shit you don’t understand yet,” He managed to look at her and she could feel her rage building. It seemed fueled his own and they were soon stating at each other hotly. 

“I’m not a child,” Abby said slowly. A muscle twitched in Yondu’s clenched jaw. “I don’t even,” she took a deep breath. “What the fuck brought this on?” She stood up, and due to the small room was immediately in his face. 

“Give me six more months,” He said quietly, her sudden proximity to him affected him somehow. His eyes had softened, and his breath sounded fast.

“Till what?” She was completely confused by all this. 

“Till you leave,” He said slightly frustrated like she was playing at something. She blinked and felt her blood freeze. She didn’t want to leave. Why was he insisting she leave? It was making her head spin.

“Six months?” She said more upset by this than she felt she had a right. Of course, she wasn’t going to stay here forever, but having a number on it felt like a gut punch. 

“Yeah,” He said. “I can help you get ready to be out there on your own, but it’s gonna take time.” 

“Six months?” She said again, feeling like she couldn’t catch her breath. She actually saw spots dancing before her. 

“Abby?” Yondu said, and it was the last thing she heard before the rushing sound in her ears overwhelmed her and she felt her knees buckle.  
.


	15. Chapter 15

“Abby!” Yondu shouted shaking her as she folded into him. He scooped her up and laid her on her bed, propping her head up. “Wake up woman!” he patted her cheeks and then when that didn’t work, he looked for her water bottle to splash some on her face. “Fuck,” he said as nothing seemed to work. He was at the door panel getting ready to call for what passed as the ship doctor when she moaned and rolled her head. He turned to look at her as she came around. 

“I don’t wanna,” She mumbled as her eyes slowly began to focus.

“Don’t wanna what?” He said coming back to her and handing her the water bottle. 

“Wanna leave,” She said, her eyes didn’t quite focus and she didn’t sound quite right. He put a hand to her forehead and felt her skin was hotter than it probably should have been. She grabbed at her stomach and lurched forward for the toilet. Yondu reached and pulled back her hair. This wasn’t his first puke party. 

“What did you eat?” He said and she fumbled for the flush button. 

“The meat and gravy pie,” she said with a shaky hoarse voice. 

“With the purple and red beans in it?” He thought back to his own serving sitting cold in his room. His brain clicked on the brief thought he’d had about them when he was picking at his meal. Abby nodded her head and Yondu sighed. If she was going to stay on the ship, he had to Terran proof it again. “Yeah, don’t eat those, they’ll make you sick.” He said handing her the bottle to rinse her mouth with.

“Really?” She said. “So I didn’t faint?” She shivered on the floor of her room, and not because she was cold. 

“Yeah, you feinted, but probably it was the beans what did it.” He walked over to the door panel and called for Kraglin. “Bring that medicine kit we put together for Quill,” he said. “Abby’s gonna need that pink shit that helps with the bean poisoning.” He turned back to her, crossed his arms and sighed. “You don't’ have to leave just cause you have an account and all. You can stay here, same rules.” She looked up at him, and there was a shimmer of tears in her eyes. She looked almost like she was going to say something, then turned to the toilet again. 

Kraglin buzzed his way in as she finished up, and stood int eh hall since the room was so small. He held a large case in his arms and looked worried. Yondu waved his hands at Abby.

“Them damn beans again.” 

Kraglin shook his head and sat the crate down to fish out the thick pink medicine they had given Quill for a variety of ills. He handed it off to Yondu who squinted at the instructions on the side to figure out the dose. 

“You over twelve?” He asked Abby. She flipped him off in response and he chuckled. 

“Even sassy when sick,” Kraglin laughed. 

“What did I do to myself?” she grumbled. 

“Don’t feel bad, Quill done poised himself three or four times before we figured it out,” Kraglin said. “We had ta kidnap a specialist at one point. They helped us put this kit together. Though we should probably update it some?” He checked the label of another bottle and shrugged. 

Yondu snorted and handed Abby a small cup of the pink stuff and she just screwed up her face and swallowed it. He chuckled as she had the same reaction he remembered Quill having, repressing a gag and sticking out her tongue, now livid pink from the goo. 

“Tasty?” He asked smirking. 

“No,” She rested her head back on the wall and sighed. “Will it work?”

“After a while.” Yondu handed the bottle back to Kraglin who stored it away again. Yondu reached down and gently pulled her back up to her feet. “Stay in fer the rest of the cycle. Quill would be down fer a week sometimes.” 

“Ugh, that would be a killing offense.” She sighed laying limply on her bed. Yondu nodded. He remembered. 

“I’ll check on you on the day shift,” Kraglin said. “Come see if ya want breakfast tomorrow.” 

“Ok,” She grumbled miserably. “I’ll be here.” 

They left her to rest and stood in the hallway. 

“Oops again?” Kraglin said. Yondu wiped his hand down his face. He hadn’t had a moment like that since the last time Quill got really sick. “So - She staying?” Kraglin asked giving Yondu side-eye. 

“Shut up,” Yondu grumbled. Kraglin grinned and rocked up onto his toes. “I mean it! Shut it!” 

“So what are we gonna do with her?” He asked as they walked back to Yondu’s quarters. 

“We?” Yondu said flopping into he chair. He knew what Kraglin meant, the man had always been more open about his feelings that Yondu was. He had less to lose. 

Kraglin just stood smirking and Yondu rolled his eyes. 

“If yer worried about this becoming a competition, then don’t worry about it.” He said. 

“I’m not worried about that, I’m worried about you being a stubborn ass like you always are and making a mess outta things.” Kraglin crossed his arms over his scrawny chest. 

“And what? Then you won't get laid?” Yondu snapped. Kraglin had a lot more freedom to speak to him, but it didn’t mean Yondu had to like it. 

“One of us should be, and frankly, if I wanted a piece of ass, I ain’t to proud to get some.” 

This was another awkward conversation for Yondu to have with Kraglin. There was a time this argument would take a different turn, and they’d both be getting laid. Yondu sighed at the realization that was never going to happen again.

They’d made a lot of progress over the past two years since Yondu was dead, but that particular wound didn’t look like it was going to heal.

“She’s here, she’s staying, she’s about as damaged as they come, but she’s rebuilding.” Yondu shrugged and toyed with his figurines on his desk, the yellow cat drawing his attention. “Can’t rush that.” 

“I know,” Kraglin sighed, sitting down and watching Yondu. Kraglin would know, he’d been there for many of Yondu’s less together moments. He picked up his datapad and flicked the screen on. “Now about Hoggle’s ledger.”

Yondu snorted and sat forward. It was time to talk business. 


	16. Chapter 16

“So what else can’t I eat the chef likes to cook with?” Abby asked as she poked at her eggs. It was almost past lunch, and she’d just managed to walk from her room to the canteen hall. Tullk was there eating late as well since he and Oblo had been on a side mission since yesterday. 

“He likes this one spice called G’ough, puts in almost all his tomato dishes,” Tullk waved a sandwich around. “Crazy about the stuff. Quill couldn’t touch it. Made him swell up like a balloon.” 

“SO no tomato dishes,” She said. Chef hadn’t served any of those yet, but good ripe tomatoes were hard to come by. 

“Malik Fish,” Oblo said though a mouthful of his own sandwich. 

“Oh yeah, but no one really likes that. Chef don’t make that unless we’re really low on rations, and it’s all we got.” Tullk chewed heartily on his dark bread sandwich, and Abby felt a pang of jealousy. She hadn’t been this sick in a very long time, and the last time she was pretty sure she was either going to die or be killed for being a useless slave. Yondu and Kraglin had given her the medical kit they’d used with Quill and explained how the pink chalky stuff helped counteract the poisons in the beans. Still, it wouldn’t have killed her, just prolonged the food poisoning. 

“That’s not too bad,” She said. Chef usually had a plate of sandwiches and cold cuts laying around for crew who either had to eat earlier to later due to scheduling, or those who didn’t want to eat his cooking that night. She might be able to put a small store of soups away too like Kraglin did in his room. 

“Nah, Quill survived.” Tullk chewed. “I imagine you will too.”

Abby gave him a watery smile and gave up eating her eggs. They were cold anyway. She offered them to Oblo, who took them with a wink and slathered them with some kind of white sauce. When she’d been a slave, her rations were usually some kind of bread, hard cheese, thin eggs, and gruel. Sometimes, if they were being fancy one night, the slaves would get the vegetable leavings, and they’d stew them up with the warm table wine and meat bones and make a proper soup. That was Abby’s favorite, and what she was craving now. She wondered if Kraglin had any vegetable soup, and pushed up from the table to go find out. 

“It’ll pass Abby, love,” Tullk said as she staggered away. “Nothing slows a Ravager down!”

Except, she wasn’t a Ravager. She thought to herself. Kraglin’s room was in the same hall as Yondu’s quarters. She pushed the door panel, and Kraglin answered the door. His hair was wet, and his clothing hastily pulled on. 

“Abby?”

“Hey. Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you have any vegetable soup?” He smirks and gestures for her to come into his room, and she staggered, feeling g a pitiful as she looked. He sat her down at his own small table and rummaged around his impressive stock of canned soups, finding one and heating it up. “Last time I was this sick, the slave minder, Telsa the bitch, recommend I be culled. Said I would cost more to cure than I was worth.” 

Kraglin looked disturbed as he sat the soup down in front of her. “That’s a shitty story,” he said. Abby nodded. 

“That’s about how I feel right now.” She pulled the soup forward and let the steam flat around her. “Thank you so much. I owe you big.”

“It’s just soup,” Kraglin said, sitting and watching her eat. “It ain't nothing.”

“It’s heaven in a bowl,” She said, sipping in a dignified manner and taking her time, not overwhelming her tender stomach. She didn’t want to end up puking Kraglin’s precious soup up. 

“You always eat funny,” He says, watching her. “Like you never tasted food before, and you don’t want to miss anything. All slow and stuff.” Abby looked up at him and swallowed the mouthful of broth and bits of vegetables. “Yondu does that too sometimes when it’s something he really likes. I think he does it most times, really, but puts on like he’s manner-less Ravager when he’s around us.”

“You like watching people eat?” Abby asked him, suddenly self-conscious. “My first slave minder, when I was ten and eleven, would beat us if we ate to fast. Beat us till we puked. We learned real quick to eat slow and eat everything. Also, we didn’t get much variety, so everything tastes rich and good to me. Even those evil legumes.” She savored more of her soup and made an effort not to chew funny. Kraglin smiled at her crookedly. She wondered if he knew he had the same smiles as Yondu. 

“I watch people a lot,” Kraglin admitted. “Especially you and the captain.”

“Not creepy,” She said, polishing off the soup. Kraglin shrugged. 

“It's fun, and I learn a lot.”

“Like?” She said, setting her spoon down and waiting for her stomach to stop rumbling. 

“How not to have a relationship,” Kraglin said. 

“Relationship?” She felt her stomach lurch, and she had a very bad feeling. She did not want to lose her lunch. “What relationship?” She held her hand to her stomach. Kraglin nodded to himself as if confirming a thought.

“So, one of you is clueless, and the other is a stubborn mule.” He tapped the table a few times with his fingers. “Look, Abby,” He looked up at her about to say something. Then bolted the guide her towards the small sink he had in the room. She clapped a hand over her own mouth and refused to let her stomach revolt. “Hey now, It’s ok, it took Quill days to shake it. Even with medicine.” She shook her head. She was not losing to a handful of beans! Kraglin patter her back till her stomach settled, and she stubbornly held it in. 

The door buzzed, and Kraglin called for it to open. 

“You got Tullk and Oblo’s debrief yet?” Yondu asked as he sauntered in. He paused and looked over the scene, his eyes narrowed. 

“They gave it to me before the went to the canteen hall,” Kraglin said, not moving from his position. “It's on the datapad there.” He gestured to the desk in the far corner. 

“She still sick?” Yondu asked as he came over. Kraglin nodded. 

“I’ll be fine,” Abby said, not convincing either man. 

“We should swing by Freron,” Yondu said. Kraglin nodded again. 

“I’m fine,” She said again, and the small ball of anger at being treated like a child helped to settle her stomach. “I don’t want to go to the damn clinic.” She smacked her hand on the sink edge, and both men looked at her. 

“Yer the same color as Daal shit, and you’re bearly standing up,” He said. 

“I don’t want to go,” She said, then felt her stomach’s sneak attack. Yondu moved fast, bending her over the sink and holding her up as she vomited her soup up. “Don’t wanna,” she managed before giving up and just hanging there, letting Kraglin run water and splash her face.

***

“So how bad was it?” Kraglin asked as Abby was mostly dropped into the seat beside him at Pure Water. 

“She bitched the whole way there, vomited on the nurse, and then bitched some more about how she was fine and didn’t need to be examined.” Yondu gestured for a sever to come over. “After a perfectly harmless scan, the doctor gave her a shot, told her to shut up, and that she’d be eating in about an hour.”

Abby crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “I hate clinics,” She said.

“I picked up on that,” Yondu smirked at her.

“I hate shots too,” She said narrowing her eyes at him. “And I’m not currently too pleased with you.” 

Yondu tilted his head slightly and shook his head at her. “Are all Terrans such whinny babies when they’re sick?”

“How the fuck would I know?” She said. Both men looked briefly uncomfortable, and Yondu sighed. Drinks were brought and Abby found Yondu had ordered the same yellow fizzy drink she’d liked the last time they were here. She sipped it tentatively and relaxed as it didn’t hit her stomach like lead. 

“I arranged a meeting with Hoggle,” Kraglin said. “He’s more than interested, still wants names. I figured we could give him the Brothers if he presses.”

“No names,” Yondu said. “Nothing that can trace it back to the Ravagers.”

“He’s pretty positive it was Ravagers already,” Kraglin said. “He just wants specifics.”

“Tough shit. He can have his ledger or he can fuck off. He’s not getting names.” Yondu drank from his bottle deeply. 

“Do either of you even know who took it in the first place?” Abby asked, feeling loads better as the shot began to work through her system. The men exchanged a glance but didn’t rush to answer. 

“We’ve got a code,” Yondu said. “And I’m not fucking with the code, again.”

“Again?” Abby arched an eyebrow. “There’s a story.”

“One I’m not telling,” Yondu said pointing at her with his bottle. “And even if I did know exactly who took the ledger, which I don’t, I wouldn’t tell. Especially not someone like Hoggle, who does have the power and reach to go after Ravagers. Right now he’s just pissed but smart enough not to strike randomly at us since that’ll stir up the whole group. But a specific target could be taken out without us being able to pinpoint it, and we’d just have to suck up the loss. Best to just sell him back the ledger, and everyone goes their own way.”

“So he’s a scary guy then?” Abby said. Yondu nodded. “Not someone to be stolen from lightly?” Yondu nodded again. “It would have to be someone cocky enough or stupid enough to even try?” 

“Don’t think about it.” Yondu pointed directly at her face. “When we go to sell this back, you don’t even look at anything in the room, even if it’s on my list. Hoggle won’t ask where you are first, he’ll just shoot. Besides, he’s good for future jobs and connections. I won’t win nothing fucking him over.”

“You’re going to take me with you?” She asked her eyes going bright.

“Did you hear anything I just said?” Yondu frowned at her and Kraglin shook his head. “It’ll be you, me, Kraglin, Tullk and Oblo. Don’t fuck this up, Missy.”

“I won’t.” She said feeling happy for the first time all day, and hungry. She flagged down a server and ordered fried vegetable strips, making sure there were no legumes of any kind in them.

“Use this as a learning situation,” Yondu said as she turned back to the men. “Observe and file it away. Shit goes sideways, don’t get fancy, just stick to us and we’ll get you out of there alive. If you don’t think you can handle that, you’re not going.”

“I can handle it,” She said. “I know how to blend into the background.” She grinned as her food was brought and she daintily began nibbling a the stick like fired tubers. They were crisp, hot, salty, and greasy, just what she wanted. Yondu reached over and snagged one biting it in two as she glared at him good-naturedly. Kraglin stole one a well and she rolled her eyes at them. “Why are you even taking me anyway?” she asked working her way through the fries.

“Like I said, good learning experience. You need to understand there are folks like Hoggle out there who are quiet and deadly, and not to be fucked with.”

“But you seem to think you could fight your way out of it with him and win?” She said, Yondu shrugged and nodded. 

“Sure, but you have to think long term. Yeah, we could get out if a firefight lit up. We’d even make it back to the ship with minimal injuries. I’ll bet we’d even make it space and past the first jump. But after that. He’d have more men on us then we could shake, we wouldn’t be safe in any port town or trade post in the territory, he’d pick the crew off till there was just a few left, and then he’d overwhelm me till I was backed into a corner. Then he’d kill me, after murdering the rest of my men in front of me.” Yondu sucked his teeth and Abby felt Kraglin go still beside her. She looked from him to Yondu. 

“Did that happen to you?” Abby said softly. 

“We lost a captain that way about thirty years back. No one knew what was happening until it was too late, and none of the crew was spared. Can’t trace it definitely back to Hoggle, but everyone understands it was him that did it.” Yondu said reaching for another fry. “Get it?”

“Yeah, I’m not going to say shit,” She said. 

“Good girl.” Yondu grinned.


	17. Chapter 17

Hoggle’s ‘joint’ was a lavish gaming hive. Much classier than anything the rough and tumble Ravagers should have been allowed in. Which explained why they were led up the back way and kept from the public eye. Abby did her best to look unremarkable, but her black long coat made her stick out among the crimson of the honor guard. Still, she stayed in the middle and didn’t even make eye-contact with any of the guards. 

  
Not that she wasn’t noticing things as she went. She’d always been hyper-aware of he surroundings, and she’d done some time as a service salve in places like this. Rented out for the evening to serve drinks and provide sex to the wealthy. She was mildly surprised with herself that she didn’t feel even a twinge of apprehension walking into this kind of place, and she figured it was because she was surrounded by red. 

  
She took note of how Yondu and his men worked as well. He walked first and forward, his cocky stride setting the pace of his men and showing off his bad-ass attitude. To his right was Kraglin, who struck a very intimidating figure when he wanted. Fanned behind them walked herself, Tullk, and Oblo. The men openly carrying weapons and wearing their grr faces. Neither man looked friendly in the least, and Abby, knowing she was a much less intimidating figure, tried for indifferent and bored, as if she did this all the time.

  
They were taken to a lavish office and told to wait. Which they did, only Yondu sitting down, flouncing on one of the large couches. This appeared to be a normal event for the rest of the men, so Abby worked to look casual as well. They didn’t wait too long, and a small wrinkled nugget of a man walked in form the far door. He was grumbling something to one of his assistants, as he entered and appeared to ignore the five people waiting to speak with him. Yondu played this off as well. Abby just watched the silent power-play unfold as both men tried to out ignore the other, when eventually the small man, who could only be Hoggle looked over. 

  
“Udanta,” He said. 

  
“Captain Udanta,” Yondu corrected with a toothy grin. Hoggle smiled thinly. 

  
“Captain Udanta,” He said. “You claim to have something of mine?” 

  
Yondu stood and walked over to the small man’s massive desk and laid the ledger on it. Hoggle reached over and touched it, and Yondu held it in place. There was a brief silent exchange and they stared at each other over the yellowed case, and then Yondu opened it, and swung it so Hoggle could look, but not touch. He punched in the verification code, and Hoggle nodded. 

  
“If I may?” Hoggle rose in his seat slightly and punched in a second code, then his wrinkled face brightened slightly and he looked pleased. “Just as you said.” He sat back down in his seat again. “Where ever did you find it?”   
“Don’t matter,” Yondu said, and there was that silent staring again. “All that matters is where you transfer the credits.” 

  
“I’d be willing to add half as much again if you were to give me names, Captain Udanta.” Hoggle tapped a few times on his in-desk link and Yondu tilted his head. 

  
“That’s a mighty nice offer, but I’m afraid I don’t know.” He watched as Hoggle’s finger hovered of the send button. Again, another weighted look. Again, Yondu met the wrinkled man’s eyes. 

  
“Not even an idea?” Hoggle said raising an eyebrow. 

  
“Not’a single inkling,” Yondu said, his smile growing in what Abby knew what a snarl. 

  
“Too bad Captain, your men might have enjoyed the extra credits, maybe even buy a pretty dress for your lovely companion?” Hoggle taped the send button knowing a lost cause when he encountered it. 

  
“She don’t wear dresses, and they don’t know shit.” Yondu said checking his link when it beeped to confirm the transfer. “Mighty nice doing business with you,” he said releasing the ledger and stepping away from the desk. The Ravagers closed around him. 

  
“Indeed Captain. Safe travels,” Hoggle said, eyeing Abby darkly as they exited. Nothing was said all the way back to the ship. Yondu immediately began barking orders and Kraglin all but ran to the bridge. Abby felt eh ship lurch into an ungraceful takeoff and braced herself against the metal walls. 

  
“What the fuck?” She asked Tullk and Oblo as they staggered against the rocky takeoff to the observation deck. 

  
“That didn’t go very well,” Tullk said. “Hoggle really wanted those names.” They lowered themselves into seats that magnetized to the floor as the ship rocketed into space. 

  
“Everything seemed so clam,” She muttered to herself replaying the whole thing in her mind again.

  
“You have to know Hoggle,” Tullk said. “He’s a quiet bastard, and he recognized you.”

“How do you know?” She said, her teeth ratting as the ship broke the atmosphere. 

“He mentioned you,” Oblo said. “Made sure Yondu knew he saw you.”

  
“I stood out,” She said relaxing as the ship smoothed out in the relative frictionless space. 

  
“Not the first time we’ve had a woman with us in negotiations,” Oblo said. “But it was the first time he’s ever mentioned it.”

  
“Yondu usually takes one of the female crew with him to places like that, good for distractions.” Tullk filled in. “Hoggle usually ignores them. He didn’t ignore you.”

  
Abby didn’t like the way that was sounding, and Tullk nodded at her frown. “You’re getting the picture,” Tullk said. 

  
“He threatened us too,” Oblo said. “Called us out, offered us the money to give up names.” 

  
“Ravagers don’t roll on Ravagers,” Tullk said leaning back in the chair and crossing his hands over his lap. He closed his eyes and sighed, Abby noticed he was finally unwinding. He rocked his head back and forth on his neck and bounced his shoulders. Oblo was doing the same, flexing out the stiffness of being on high alert. She realized she’d missed all of that, would have thought everything had gone smoothly. She felt very small right then, and very stupid. 

  
“Abby,” Yondu’s voice buzzed over the communicator she carried. “My office, now.”

  
She sighed as both Tullk and Oblo looked over at her. Tullk smiled through slitted eyes. 

  
“Chin up, he just wants to debrief you,” Tullk said. Oblo chuckled and then Tullk grinned wolfishly. “In both ways.”

  
Abby glared at them as she stood and left. Between their teasing and Kraglin’s strange warnings, she was begging to have really weird ideas of Yondu.

  
Kraglin waited in Yondu’s office when she arrived. Yondu leaned on his desk consul, his arms crossed, looking down in thought. Kraglin sat at the small table, a datapad beside him. They looked as rattled as Tullk and Oblo had.   
“How bad is it?” She asked closing the door and engaging the do not disturb message. Kraglin shrugged and Yondu snarled. 

  
“What did Tullk and Oblo tell you?” Kraglin asked as Yondu still seemed unable to speak without snarling. 

  
“That Hoggle threated everyone, that he seemed to notice me specifically.” She walked over and sat with Kraglin facing the glowering captain. “I - I didn’t see it,” she said, clasping her hand and looking small. 

  
“Understandable,” Yondu managed. “You don’t know Hoggle.”

  
“That’s what Tullk said.” She sighed. She felt she was good at reading a situation, and she’d missed all the warring's these four had picked up on. Yondu let out a long frustrated sigh and shook himself. 

  
“Don’t matter. We got the credits, they’ve been moved and are distributed. He ain't getting that back.” 

  
“But is he going to hunt us down now?” Abby asked remembering what Yondu had said back at Pure Water.

  
“No,” Yondu said. “Not me or my men.” He looked darkly at her and Kraglin shifted. “Show her.” Yondu waved a hand at Kraglin. He slid the datapad over and Abby read it feeling her blood chill. It was a bounty out on her, and Hoggle had just increased the amount to have her brought to him, as opposed to the original issuer. She had known she had a bounty out on her, but she hadn’t known it was this high. “You don’t go nowhere without someone with you from now on.” Yondu said. “That’s high enough to test even my men.” 

  
She felt a hot flash go through her, but one look at Yondu had her reigning in her anger. He was beyond taking any flack from it, and looking at Kraglin showed this was an argument she hadn’t been present for. She picked up the pad and tapped a few things, reading the bounty again. 

  
“Then why don’t you just turn me in then, find out what he wants?” She said. “I’ve never been around him before. What possible interest could he have?”

  
“Don’t test me,” Yondu snarled. “I don’t know what he wants beyond irritating me. But even this is extreme. We’re gonna float for a bit, this might just be a passing fancy of his, he might get board and let it drop. It’s happened before. No one is going to cross me on the ship, and we’ve got things we can do in the meantime.” Yondu was pacing again, thinking out loud. She looked at Kraglin who sat silently shaking his head. He gave her a tight smile.

  
“We’re gonna head to the other side of the sector. There’s good work smuggling over there, moving cargo around and such.” Kraglin took the datapad back from her. “Even a few places to stop and recharge if we need too.”

  
“And it’s far away from Hoggle’s influence?” She asked, processing all this. Kraglin nodded. 

  
“And inside two other Ravager faction’s territories.” Kraglin pulled up a new map on the datapad and kept her look at it. There were asymmetrical blobs drawn on a star-chart each labeled with a different Ravager crest. She recognized as Yondu’s crew. The other two shared the same Ravager Flame, but one had what looked like a star-burst coming out of the middle, and the other had a larger image of the Flame around it. 

  
“Who are they?” she asked zooming in. There was a fair amount of overlap in of the three factions and as she moved the map around she could see, each of the factions overlapped with several others, but never more than three at any point. 

  
“Stakar’s crew and the Guardians,” Kraglin said. 

  
“The Guardians?” She said recognizing the name. “You mean the Guardians of the Galaxy?” She asked. “That Star-Lord guy?”

  
“Quill,” Kraglin said with a smirk. “He’s an ass.”

  
“They’ll cover our ass,” Yondu said. “Both of them. Stakar doesn’t truck in salves, ever, and Peter favors cargo over people. It’ll be hard for anyone to snag you. But until we’re in that overlap you’re not to go anywhere without someone with you, don’t fight me on that.” Yondu pointed a finger at her and shook his head. “I’m about as pissed as I want to be over this, don’t need you getting willful over it.”

  
She narrowed her eyes at him again and rolled her tong under her lips. He looked sideways at Kraglin and figured he was privy to all their discussions anyway. She stood up crossed her arms at him.  
“Say please,” She said. Kraglin choked and Yondu’s ruby eyes went wide.

  
“The fuck you say?” Yondu said steeping immediately into her face. She held her ground.

  
“Say. Please.” She tilted her chin up. “Say ‘Please Abby, don’t wander off. Stay close, so I don’t worry about you’.” She heard Kraglin’s chair scrape back and his footsteps as he ran out of the room, he might have been laughing softly. The door hissed open and clicked shut, and Yondu held her gaze the whole time. Neither was about to budge. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold his angry intense gaze, and was glad that Kraglin had run before she cracked. Then Yondu’s lip twitched and he smirked at her. 

  
“Please, Abby,” he ground out. “Don’t wander off. Stay close, and keep my men with you.” She actually blinked in surprise. She really hadn’t expected that to work. 

  
“Because?” She said, deciding to push it. Yondu’s smirk turned into a feral grin in an instant. 

  
“You just like pissing me off?” He said. She narrowed her eyes and gripped her arms tightly, more to keep herself from shivering from his temper. When she didn’t relent, he took another breath. “Because I don’t want to worry about you.” He finished. She swallowed and felt her face heat up with a blush. His eyes flickered over her face, and his grin softened a touch at it. “You like when I say nice things to you eh?” He backed away and she let a long breath out. 

  
“Ok,” She said as soon as she caught her breath. He tilted his head.

  
“Ok, what?” He said and she shook her arms out feeling her chest pound.

  
“Ok, I won't wander off or leave without someone with me.” She felt like she needed to move, to work out the jittery energy that flooded her system. “I’m not trying to piss you off, I just don’t like feeling helpless and useless.” She said. He watched her pace in his office saying nothing. 

“It’s not going to be forever,” He said tapping on his desk. “Hoggle has a short attention, it’s probably just a passing fancy and he’ll be over it once he gets distracted by something else.”

  
“But he might not.” She turned on him. “I can handle myself, I can fight.” Yondu shook his head.

  
“It’s not about that. Not everyone’s gonna come at you fair, might even use those around you to get you to co-operate. And you’re not the ‘shoot first’ kinda gal. I’d prefer if you kept Kraglin, Tullk or Oblo with you, but anyone from my crew will do.” Yondu seemed a bit more relaxed now that they were talking about it. Abby felt better about it too. Honestly, she was a little freaked out about possibly being taken back to slavery after almost five months of freedom, and she knew the Ravagers were her best bet at staying free. 

  
“Maybe I should go back to Earth?” She said, thinking out loud herself, Yondu winced at that. She shook her head at him. “You don’t like that? It’s way outside of Hoggle’s influence.”

  
“True,” He grumbled. “And if that’s what you want, I’ll make it happen.” He didn’t look like he wanted that though. She frowned at him. 

  
“It’d be a whole lot less effort for you,” She said. He sucked in air and didn’t look right at her. She was right. “It makes sense.”

  
“You want to go back to a planet you ain't seen in how many years?” He snapped. 

  
“Twenty or so,” she said. He blinked at her, then shook his head. “And no, I don’t. But I don’t want to be this much of a problem for you.”

  
“Ain't a problem if I say it ain't.” He tapped the desk again. “And I say it ain't.”

  
“Why ain't it?” she said and he looked at her again, hearing her mimic his accent. He narrowed his eyes at her. “Tell me? Why are you going this far out of your way for me? I can’t be that good at rolling horny fat men!” 

  
“I gotta soft spot for Terrans,” He said grumbling. She just stared at him and he groaned and threw his head back looking up at the ceiling. “Damn it, woman, can’t you tell?” 

  
She thought she almost could. Kraglin’s warning, Tullk and Oblo’s teasing, his own relenting to her demand.

  
“Shit, Yondu,” She said throwing her hand in the air and he nodded still looking at the ceiling. 

  
“Also, I’m no good at this. So I’m like a raging Triceop in a crystal mine, bringing the whole place down with me.”

  
“And I’m better at it?” She said running a hand through her hair. “I’m all broken inside Yondu!” He nodded still studying the ceiling. He’d thought about that, she could tell. It was probably why he hadn’t said or done much before. 

  
“Don’t matter,” he said looking at her once more, his eyes intense again. She did shiver this time. “We’re a pair eh?” Abby sighed and nodded. 

  
“What do I do now?” She said, hugging herself again. Yondu scrunched up his face and shook his head. 

  
“If I knew that we wouldn’t be having this pissing contest.” He pushed off his desk and walked towards her. “Do you want to stay here? With,” He took a deep breath measuring his words and then shook his head briefly. “With us?” He blinked at her and frowned. “Or do you want me to take you back to Earth?” 

  
“What the fuck am I going to do on Earth? I don’t even have family there. They took my mom too, so I’ve got nothing there.” 

  
“Is that a ‘yes’ on staying then?” He managed a weak smile. She smiled back at him and nodded. “Good,” he said and went to the small sitting area in his office. Two mismatched mini couches that faced the windows. He flopped down on one and kicked his feet up on the table in front of it. She drifted over to him keeping her distance. He hadn’t told her to leave, but they were obviously done talking. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do that in front of my crew.” She knew he was referring to the whole ‘please’ thing.

  
“I was gambling you won’t care if Kraglin saw it.” She said gingerly sitting on the other end of the couch he was sprawled on. He rolled his head to look at her. There was a weariness in his eyes that she wondered had anything to do with her. He nodded. 

  
“Kraglin’s closer to me than anything.” He rolled his tongue over his teeth. There was something more going on there, but he didn’t seem to want to say anything. “I’d also appreciate it if you didn’t actively try to mess that up.” She frowned at him. 

  
“What would I do it screw that up?” She said, wondering if she should feel insulted or not. 

  
“He’s not happy with how I’ve been handling this whole thing,” He gestured between them. “But he’s afraid to cross a line. He stepped past me once, shit got stirred up, and things were bad. This is my second crew, you see, and Kraglin feels like that’s his fault. Still does, and though I’ve told him to be open with me, he still won’t cross some line.” There was a sadness In his eyes and Abby felt she should do something, but she wasn’t sure what exactly.

  
“So it’s not me, but I might make him feel like he’s messed up.” She said, leaning back like Yondu and stretching out. Yondu nodded. 

  
“Not much he really could do. Losing him would be like cutting off my fin, again, I’m not about to do that either.” Yondu gave her a ruefully smirk and looked her up and down. “Well just make yourself comfortable.” She rolled her eyes at him. 

  
“You didn’t ask me to leave.” She said matching his smirk, and giving him a dose of his own medicine. She looked him over, taking in his relaxed state, and how his body lounged on the couch. He had a nice figure, surprisingly short, but stalky. His fin gave him a false hight, but a nice contrast to his cobalt blue skin. The Ravager colors sat well with him too, complementing his complexion, and hugging his form. He noticed she was looking and sat up a bit straighter. She chucked at him.

  
“So you just going to hang out here till I tell you to go?” He said., shifting closer to her. “Man might take that a certain way.”

  
“I figured I’d stay till I got bored, or tired.” She smirked at him further, but stayed where she was. Usually when she did this sort of thing with the idiots she robbed or distracted her stomach would clench up in anticipation of being touched by them. It was an inevitable part of being a sex slave or keeping a man busy, and she’d learn to control her gag reflex. When Yondu looked at her that way, she felt a warm sensation in her stomach, and a little egger. 

  
“Mmhum.” He rested his head on his fist. “Well how can we keep you entertained then?” 

  
“Tell me about Quill,” Sh said fishing for any topic. “How did you meet him? How come you call him your boy?”

  
Yondu looked like he was thinking about it then shifted his position. 

  
“I picked him up on earth right after his mama died.” Yondu said. 

  
“Why?” Abby asked. Stakar had been correct, Terrans only made it to space on e way, usually. They were abducted, usually for the salve trade, sometimes for experimentation. She was mildly appalled that Yondu had grabbed a Terran. He could see that too and frowned. 

  
“I was young and stupid,” Yondu said. “And when I grabbed Peter it was more to keep him safe, than to profit.” Abby opened her mouth to ask what he meant and Yondu sighed. “You couldn’t as a simple question could you?”

  
“I thought I had,” She said. Yondu groaned rolling his head back again. “You don’t have to tell me if you don want to.”

He kinda did. He’d never told anyone the whole thing, just parts. And though Kraglin knew the whole thing, since he’d been there for it, they didn’t talk about it much. He sucked breath and let it out slowly. 

  
“Remember I told you I wasn’t going to cross the code again?” He looked over to see her nodding at him and he pursed his lips. “This was when I crossed it. So don’t judge me, I’ve already paid for this and it cost me deeply.” He straightened up as she leaned towards him. “When I was first starting out as a captain, I was young and stupid, and greedy as fuck. I wanted to prove that I was the best Ravager Captain out there, and so I took jobs that I really shouldn’t have, and made some very bad decisions.”

  
“Kraglin let you?” She asked and Yondu laughed. 

  
“I didn’t have Kraglin with me just yet. I took this contract with this jackass, and he told me that he wanted me to go pick up his children. See he had all these kids throughout the universe, and he wanted to have them with him, cause he wanted to be a father to them. Now, I was told that I’d only be picking them up if their mothers died, and Ravagers aren’t assassins, so I figured, sure. Man wants to be a father to his kids, and he was paying me really well, I would be doing all them kids a favor. Truth was, it never sat right with me, Ravagers don’t move slaves or kids, but I told myself it was fine because I was uniting them with their father.

  
Then I picked up this half-Naitia kid and took him to see his father, and That feeling I had just grew. We got to the planet and the Jackass meets us there, but none of the other kids were there. They never were. Now by this point, I’d deliverers ten or so of the little shits to him, and I knew I wasn’t the only one doing this. So you’d expect the whole planet would be crawling with his kids. But he always told me they were safe, he didn’t hurt them, and they were off doing kid shit, or whatever. This Naitia kid was scared though, more scared than the others, and he was screaming that people had killed his mother. The Jackass had told me she died of natural causes. The kid was terrified, I was suspicious, but he paid me and I left. 

  
I spent the next few months looking for the other kids I had already dropped off. No one knew anything, and a scan of the planet showed no other lifeforms. I knew then that something was wrong, and the Jackass was doing something to them kids. I deiced not to take any more jobs from him, cut my losses, and I hired some more crew, including Kraglin and went on with it. I knew I’d fucked up, but there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about. 

  
Not long after that, I saw that the Jackass had posted a new job, this one for a Terran kid named Peter Quill. It was a handsome amount, and I knew, just knew he was going to kill the kid when he got him. So I took the crew and we went to earth. I put Kraglin in charge, and I went down to check things out for myself. I tried to warn his mama, but she had something wrong with her head. A tumor, Peter told me. It killed her, but it was slow and ugly, and Peter got to watch every moment of it. I learned all this later,” He said looking over at her again. She had moved closer to him but was paying attention. If it wasn’t such a terrible story, he’d have tried something. But now that he was telling it, he couldn’t stop. 

  
“I knew other people would come for him. I knew If they did they’d take him to his father. I knew he’d die if that happened. I couldn’t only think of one way to keep him safe, and that was to take him myself. So I did. Snatched him up screaming the night his mother died.”

  
“That doesn’t seem that bad,” She said close enough now he could touch her if he tired. He just smirked and shook his head. 

  
“Stakar got word of it, and when he confirmed that I had snatched up a Terran boy, he was furious. He got even more pissed at me when he found out about the other kids. It was unforgivable to him, and he banished me.”

  
“Banished?” She jerked back. “He didn’t look like you you were banished when I met him?” Yondu nodded.

  
“Almost thirty years we weren’t on speaking terms. I can’t count how many times I crawled back to him with my tail between my legs and he kicked me off. He wasn’t going to let me off the hook.”

  
“What changed?” Abby asked and Yondu chuckled. 

  
“I died,” he said simply. “That’s a whole other story, but the short version is, I raised Peter, he was and is my boy. He turned out to be a decent kid despite me, and when his father found him and tried to suck out his life force, to whatever he wanted, I went to save him. It cost me my ship, my crew, and my life.” He turned to look at Abby, “And I swear I’d do it all over again.”

  
Abby just stared at him. 

  
“Your crew?” Yondu was particularly protective of his crew. Cautious with them, and not willing to take too big a risk where they were concerned. To hear him say something like that was counter to what she knew about him. He didn’t smile now and nodded. 

  
“They mutinied over my handling of Peter’s predicament with his father. Those loyal to me were killed by those who weren’t, and I returned the favor.”

  
He’d alluded to something like that before. “Kraglin?” She asked. Yondu rolled his head. 

  
“He spoke up against me, but never acted against me. Granted he probably should have spoken to me in private, but he’s the reason Tullk and Oblo are alive. He lost a lot that night too. I figure he’s more than paid for his misstep. I’ve forgiven him, but I don’ think he’s forgiven himself.” 

  
Yondu yawned and it cracked his jaw and Abby struggled not to, and lost.

  
“It’s been a day,” She said stretching as well. Yondu watched her with e a sly eye and she blushed, pulling herself in again. He grinned now.

  
“You gonna blush every time I look at you now?” He said shifting to face her again. She blushed again.

  
“Maybe,” She said. “I’ve never had I guy I liked look at me. Mostly just slimy assholes.”

  
“Well I can be a massive asshole, just ask Kraglin.”

  
“But you're not slimy,” She said standing up and rubbing her neck. “I’m - uh, gonna go and let you get some sleep.” She stepped back and he leaned forward watching her move. His interest was evident, but he didn’t reach for her. He probably could get her into bed, probably could get more than that out of her. And if that was all he wanted he’d have pushed it. He stood to walk with her to the door and closed it after she had stepped out and walked down the hall. It had been a day, and he’d probably regret it after he’d slept on it, but right now he was feeling pretty damn good.


	18. Chapter 18

“So?” Kraglin asked as she sat down with her at breakfast. Tullk and Oblo were off getting ready for a scouting mission with a few other ships and Yondu still hadn’t emerged from his rooms. He tended to miss breakfast anyway, joining the crew mainly for dinner. 

“Sew buttons,” she said examining her food before she tucked in. It was just simple eggs with stripes of crispy meat and over stewed apples and mushrooms. All things she’d eaten before with no ill effect. Kraglin frowned as he bit into his bacon. 

“Well he didn’t kill you, so what did happen?” Kraglin pushed. 

“You’re nosy,” She said with a sly smile. Kraglin shook his head. 

“Please just tell me his moods gonna improve?” 

“I have no idea. But he was in a good mood when I left.” She spooned eggs onto the dark bread the chef favored. Kraglin raised an eyebrow speculatively. “I slept in my own room,” She said.

“You don’t have to sleep to put a man in a good mood.” Kraglin pointed out. She rolled her eyes, but he got her meaning. “But you two made headway then? Can I hope you two at least talked?”

“Yeah, we talked. He told me about how he got Peter.” She chewed as she thought about what she’d learned last night. Kraglin looked mildly surprised but nodded. 

“I wondered if he’d tell you about all that. It’s kinda a sore subject for him.”

“He didn’t get into gory details, but I can read between the lines.” She sipped what passed for coffee in the ship and they ate in silence. Kraglin digesting what she wasn't’ saying.

“He tell you about what I did?” Kraglin finally asked and she shrugged.

“He told me shit happened and there was a mutiny. He handled it, and you weren’t to be blamed for it.” She said. He sighed, not overly pleased about it.

“He would,” Kraglin said sitting back and looking mournfully at his coffee. 

“He means it,” she said, not sure how to comfort him but wanting to desperately. Kraglin shook his head and stood up. 

“I know,” Kraglin said. He packed up his dishes and walked them over to a cart. “It’ll be a few days before we make it to the cross over. You get bored, I can show you a few things on the scout ships.” He offered before he walked out. She watched him go and tried to put together the pieces she now knew about Yondu and his crew, it changed the picture slightly, bringing it further into focus. Now she just needed to find out where she fit in that picture.


	19. Chapter 19

“Hey,” Abby poked her head up into the pilot level of Kraglin’s M-ship. Kraglin jumped, bashed his head under the consul, and grabbed a knife as his eyes watered. Abby winced for him and apologized.

“S’ok,” he rubbed the little cut on his forehead, his fingers came back slick with blood. Damn head wounds always bled more than necessary. 

“Let me help,” She tisked as she climbed up fully and went for where a small med it should be. It wasn’t there and Kraglin smirked. 

“Knew I needed to replace something’,” He felt around for a dirty rag and held it to his head before the blood into his eye.

“No, you’ll get an infection!” She reached to pull his hand away and he gently waved her off. 

“Nah, not in my nature.” He scrubbed the wound with the rag a moment, waiting for it to stop. Abby flinched. “What did ya need? Bored already?” He asked. It hadn’t been that long since breakfast. 

“Not really,” She kept looking at his head. He could tell it was going to drive her crazy. He chuckled and moved away from the consul and towards where he’d seen the medkit last. 

“Here, patch me up and get whatever it is off yer chest.” He handed her the kit and then sat in the center chair. Abby chewed her lip as she fished out cleaning wipes and a topical nano-gel. 

She pulled the rag away and gently began to dab at his cut. He gave a fake holler that made her jump, and then laughed when she smacked him. She wiped his face creating a clean spot on his forehead and then dabbed the gel on. He felt a tingle as it set in.

“So, how do you and Yondu fit together exactly?” She asked stepping away and finding a random crate to sit on. He rolled his eyes up to study the ceiling. “Yondu does that too.”

“I know,” He sighed, and tapped his long fingers on the armrest. 

“What all did Yondu tell you?” He asked, leaning forward to drape his hands of his knees. 

“He said things were tense between you and he didn’t want me messing things up more.” 

Kraglin chuckled. “So you hunt me down ta ask me this?” 

“I need to know, so I can make a decision,” She looked at her own hands. Kraglin knew what she was asking, and he gave her props for even considering it. 

“What decision are you making?” He knew, he just wanted to hear her say it. 

“Whether or not getting involved with him, with you, is a good idea or not.” 

Kraglin blinked. 

“With me?” He sat up straight. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean if the two of you are - something, then I need to know, and I need to know how you feel about it all?” She looked at him seriously. “I’m not going to be a wedge.”

“How I feel?” He shook his head. “All that matters is how you and the captain feel about it.” 

“No, you’re part of this.” She stood up. “You two are close, I’m not blind, and he said not to mess with things between you, and I’m not trying to, but I mean, I - he, and you, and…” She waved a hand at him. “I’m all broken up, but I still have enough in me to feel things, and want things.” 

“Why the hell are you telling me this?” He felt his neck hair rising. “I’ve done kept my distance.” 

“I’m not blind!” She said shaking her head. He felt a blush creep up his cheeks. “The only person who looks at me like you is Yondu, or maybe Tullk, but he’s just joking half the time.” 

“Only half,” Kraglin rubbed the back of his head. He knew Tullk found Abby attractive, but he didn’t feel anything for her. Not like, well, dare he admit it?

“So, what if, I - uh, don’t like it?” Were they talking about what he thought they were talking about? 

She bit her lip again and looked frustrated. 

“I don’t know, I don't’ want to leave. I like it here, I feel safe here, but Yondu wants more. I want more.” She rubbed her hands up her arms. “Do you not like it?” 

“Ok, ok, stop.” Kraglin stood up, he was losing track of this quickly. He crossed his own arms and looked at her sternly. This was a moment. One he hadn't been expecting. “I want the captain happy,” HE said. “You gonna make him happy?” 

“Probably not,” She rolled her eyes, “I’m probably going to make him a nervous wreck and piss him off.”

“Yeah, but in a good way?” Kraglin bobbed his head. Yondu seemed to like having someone to worry over and be irritated by. 

“There’s a good way?” Abby sucked in a breath. “But you,” 

“What about me?” Kraglin shook his head. “I’m not part of this.”

“You’re the biggest part of this,” She waved her hands. “I like you, Yondu likes you.” 

“He don’t,” Kraglin sniffed. This was getting too close to home for him. She just glared at him. 

“What are you blind?” 

“I,” He frowned. “What *did* he tell you?” Yondu never talked about their past, to anyone. But the way she was talking it almost sounded like he had. She pulled a poker face on him and she ground his teeth. He knew how to read Yondu and knew the man’s bluffs. Abby was just new enough that he had a hard time figuring her out. That and she had this uncanny way of waiting him out till he cracked. “He and I have some history, and we have issues, and we’re probably not going to work through those any time in the near future.” 

“Why not?” She asked and he wiped a hand down his face. 

“I don’t wanna talk about this,” He said. “And I don’t wanna talk about it with you.” He turned and jumped down the portal to the lower deck. He wasn’t running away, not really. He just didn’t want to be there anymore. 

“Kraglin,” She called after him but he was moving and he was motivated to keep moving. 

He passed people as he made his way down the halls towards his quarters. It was time for his break anyway. Those who knew him watched him steam by, the new recruits stepped hastily out of his way. He must have looked ready to murder someone. A foot jutted out of nowhere and he tripped, bracing his fall with his hands. 

He snarled up at the guy who’d had the balls to trip him and Tullk just looked at him quizzically. 

“Who’s on your list?” Tullk asked squatting down beside him. 

“Abby,” Kraglin said. “Asking her stupid questions.” 

“Huh,” Tullk nodded. “Yeah, she does that.” Tullk watched him and Kraglin ground his teeth again. “That bad eh?” 

“Stay out of it,” Kraglin snapped. Tullk shrugged. 

“You just sacred half the crew ya passed.” Tullk pointed behind them. “If she’s an issue, I can drop her somewhere.”

“Fuck it Tullk,” Kraglin slammed a hand on the floor. “It ain't her, it’s what she's asking like the past don’t mean shit! Like it’s all comet dust!”

“It is, idiot,” Tullk said, his dark eyes hard. “You just need ta stop being a moron and get the fuck over it.” Tullk stood up then. His opinion on Kraglin’s guilt clear. “Whenever yer done being a crybaby over shit ya got no right ta be whining about, meet me in the gym so I can beat some sense into ya.” 

Kraglin jumped up and lunged. He didn’t need a gym to pound Tullk’s scared face. 

Tullk just side-stepped him, swung up, and clipped him on the chin. It made his teeth clank together hard enough to rattle his brain. Tullk followed up with an elbow to his side, and kick to his stomach when he finally crumpled. 

“I meant ta give ya a little dignity, but if you wanna make this public we can.” Tullk stepped back and looked Kraglin over as he rolled onto his back. 

“Why can't ya just hate me? Any of ya?” He tasted blood in his mouth and shook his head. 

“You seem ta be doing that well enough on yer own,” Tullk said. “We just wish you’d get the hell over it. Captain would be a lot happier and Abby wouldn’t get under yer skin so much.” Tullk leaned against the hall wall glaring at a set of new recruits that dared to walk down the hall. They turned and walked back the way they came, not even glancing back. “You could have a smoking hot woman, and the captain if you’d just stop being a damn self-deprecating fool. But you’d rather wallow in self pity fer shit none of us blame ya for. Yer pathetic.” Tullk shook his head. “If I ever wee gonna hate ya fer something, it'd be throwing all that away.” 

Tullk turned on his heel and walked off. Kraglin spent another moment laying on the hall floor, then picked himself up and climbed back to his room. 


	20. Chapter 20

“Who popped you one?” Yondu asked eyeing the bruise on Kraglin’s chin. 

“No one,” Kraglin grumbled as he watched the crew get ready to land on Taxonius Rendus Prime. They were going to be down for a while for a bit of maintenance and R&R. Yondu had been chewing over what he’d said to Abby, and maybe it was time to take his first mate out for a lot of drinks. 

“No-one look worse than you?” Yondu asked and Kraglin sighed. 

“Not a mark on him.” Kraglin rolled his bony shoulders. He looked at Yondu with those sad smoky eyes he had. “I’m gonna wrap things up here and head to the bar.” 

There was a pause there, and Yondu felt like he wanted to say something. 

“I can meet ya there,” Yondu managed before the moment passed. Kraglin blinked rapidly, something complicated floated over his face. Then he nodded. 

“Yeah,” Kraglin swallowed. “I’ll get a booth.” His eyes darted over his shoulder and then down and away. He turned without saying anything and walked off. Yondu looked over his shoulder and saw Abby walking up. She frowned when she saw Kraglin walking off. 

“We’re landing fer some R&R,” Yondu said. “You can move around if ya have someone with you.” 

“I know,” she smiled at him and he grinned back. “I just wanna walk around some, see what the town is like.” 

“Oh? Does herself need a guide to our wondrous ravager port?” Tullk walked up now, Oblo in tow. 

“Herself?” Abby rolled her eyes at him. 

“Keep track of her,” Yondu pointed at him. “I’ll meet ya at the bar later.”

Tullk gave him a salute that Oblo mirrored. Yondu gave Abby one more lingering look then headed back to his office. He needed to get a few things straight before he could log out of captain mode, and maybe simply enjoy Kraglin and Abby some. 

***

“Taxonius Rendus Prime,” Tullk sad as they all stood on the ramp looking down at the bustling ship port. It was Fall here, and the permanent residents of the small island city waked around in a range of fashion and un-fashionable clothes. The rest, the majority, wore Ravager crimson. Emblems for several raver clans were visible, but the more were of one faction. Stakar’s. “’Tiss a home away from home for many a Ravager.” 

“Stakar’s people are everywhere,” Abby said as they, she Tull, Oblo and Fencel, walked down the map to the port. 

“Stakar keeps a complement of crew on the island to police the joint. They keep an eye on the space around the planet too.” Oblo said throwing an arm around Fencel’s ample hips. She towered over him by a foot, but that didn't seem to dissuade him. Tullk rolled his eyes. “See you at the Wreck later!” He called and pulled Fencel off with him. 

“Those two?” Abby said? Tullk nodded. 

“It’s your doing,” Tull said. “Since she’s been hanging around Oblo’s wormed his way into her pants. And I think she likes it.” Tullk wiggled a thin finger up and through a circled fist. Abby made an ick face and shoved him.

“So what do you want to see first?” Tullk asked sweeping his arms wide. “Wanna do some shopping or get some new boots?”

“What’s wrong with my boots?” She asked looking down at them. They were the same ones she’d fished out of storage crates so many months ago. 

“Nothing! But.” Tullk trailed off with a playfully look. “We’re in a Ravager port, in a Ravager city!”

“I’m not a Ravager,” She pointed out. Following him as he wove his way through the crowd. 

“Sure, sure, So you don’t have a crew’s crest to wear. But Abby, you don’t have to wear those old things anymore. You don’t have to wear borrowed clothes we scavenged off cargo ships. You can buy your own, something that really suits you.” He stopped at a food stall and snagged several sticks of glazed meat on spikes. He tossed credits at the man working it and handed Abby two. He bit into his own. “What I’m saying is, get yerself something that shows off your assists!”

“I don’t want to show off my assets,” She bit in and chewed. Then paused to smile happily as the sweet glaze complimented the salty meat. It was street food, and probably as good for her as her candy-bars, but it tasted so wonderful. He opened her eyes to see Tullk watching her with a strange expression. 

“It’s like being turned on by my sister,” he whispered. She kicked at his legs and he danced away. 

“Well now I need to get my mind off that,” He said chewing on his own meat on a stick. “Here, boots!” He pulled her in with him, and she was pleasantly surprised that not only was he comfortable enough to casually touch her, but she didn’t recoil at it. She was making progress she thought. And then took in the shop. 

Boots, belts, leather bags, and all sorts of accessories lined the walls, hung off displays and crowded shovels. The smell of well-worked leather and dye-filled the air and there was a muffled quality to the atmosphere. Almost everything was Ravager crimson. 

Abby fought not to gawk. Tullk was already looking at something on the far wall, he actually needed new boots, his last ones were chewed thoroughly by some kind of toothy creature on his last mission and he’d been waiting to replace them till he got to a Ravager town. 

“Most decent places won’t deal items in our colors,” he said when he walked up. “Afraid it’ll attract Ravagers to their shops.”

“Are they wrong?” She asked sitting down and watching him browse. 

“Nope,” He grinned over his shoulder. “But no one’s got money to burn like we do.” A shop keeper came over. He was short and furry, and purple. His yellow eyes were slit like a cat’s and he peeped into a device clipped to his collar.

=Hello valued customer, how my I assist you?= the mechanical voice of the translator buzzed out. Tullk looked down at the little merchant. 

“You got these in whatever my size is?” He looked down at his own feet and the taped up boots he was currently wearing. 

=of course valued customer, If not, I can have them custom made.=

“Ah, lovely, let get me fitted then. Oh and, see to my friend here.” He pointed at Abby who waved a second furry merchant away, this one, a pretty silver-gray peeped excitedly and its translator worked to keep up. 

=We have many lovely things for the companion of a Ravager!= it said. 

“I’m not his companion,” She said understating it’s meaning. “I’m just not a Ravager.”

=We have many lovely things, come see! Come see!= the creature pulled at the sleeve of her coat and she gave Tullk a helpless look, but he was busy with his boots and only winked at her. Before she was able to extract herself from the merchant, she’d purchased new boots, sturdier ones that fit like they were molded to her feet and calves. They had sheaths for knives on both sides, and little pockets for tiny trinkets. She had a matching belt and harness, both with holsters and again, more pockets, that crossed over her chest and waist, showing off, as Tullk said, her assets. She figured since she was at it, she may as well get a new satchel too and picked one that matched her black coat. 

“Nah, not that one,” Tullk said, reaching past the soft black leather one to the one beside it of the same style, but Ravager crimson. 

“I’m not a Ravager, Tullk,” she said glaring up into his smirking face. He pressed it into her hands anyway. 

“So don’t put the flame on it.”

She tried, unsuccessfully to get the black one from him, but he blocked her each time, eventually simply turning her and walking her back to the counter to pay. She almost balked again when she saw he’d replaced the black boots she’d picked out, with the same style only crimson as well. She used her account, the first time she’d ever used it, and felt a wicked thrill at knowing she’d bought things with her own credits. She left wearing her new things, Tullk having the old ones sent back tot he ship via courier. 

“Feels nice don’t it?” He said as they walked. She couldn’t stop petting her new satchel, and the boots were like heaven. 

“I’m going to get in trouble with Yondu when he sees them though,” She muttered. Tullk just smirked. He was up to something, and she didn’t like it. 

They swung by a clothing shop and Tullk bought himself a few new things and talked her into new shirts and paints. These he didn’t fuss over the colors as much, simply suggesting ones that complemented her skin-tone. She did splurge a bit on the undergarments though, getting actual underwear that fit, and several undershirts that held her breasts in place nicely. Tullk again made not so helpful suggestions and laughed as she threatened to strangle him with a garter belt. 

“Why am I always the one who gets to see you picking out the panties, but never wearing them?” He teased as they left the shop. 

“Because no one sees me in them, but me,” she sniffed, not really offended, but playing her part. He laughed and she suddenly stopped him. “Hang on!” she pulled him with her into a general grocer. He gave her a curious look.

“I suggest stocking up before we leave,” He said. “This isn’t as much fun as new clothes.”

“I need to find the soup,” She said ignoring him and asking the bored-looking clerk. He pointed down an isle and she dashed down it Tullk strolling along. 

“We should probably get you a gun as well,” He said as she eyed the varieties of soup. There were so many, and she didn’t remember which one Kraglin had made for her. 

“I can’t shoot,” she said absently grabbing to of them and looking at the labels. 

“You can’t shoot?” Tullk said. “Seriously?” He stepped into her peripheral. She ignored him and grabbed another can to compare. “Does the captain know?”

“Know what?” She said her attention snapping to the word Captain. Tullk looked incredulous. 

“That you can’t shoot,” He said, reaching above her and pulling down a can and handing it to her. She looked a ti and realized it was the right one. 

“It’s never come up,” She said taking the can and walking back to the counter to pay. Tullk made an exasperated sound behind her. 

“Nearly six months you’ve been with us, and it’s never come up,” He rolled his eyes and said something in a language she didn’t know. “He’s gonna be pissed.” 

“About that?” She said taking her soup can putting it in the new bag. 

“Nah, that he missed it.” Tullk pulled her out of the shop and herded her down the streets. They stopped an got a bit more street food, these were chewy balls of what tasted like dough, covered in a sweet green paste served in a small paper cup. Tullk watched her eat the first one, and she tried really hard not to go all gooey when she did, but it really tasted so good. “Worth it,” He said, and pulled her along. 

By the time they made it to the Wreck, she’d acquired a new blaster, and three new knives, a bag of chocolate bars, medicine to help with a variety of ailments that Terrans apparently fell victim to, and a long crimson scarf that she’d tied around her waist like a skirt. She’d had her hair swept up contained in a, what she thought was ingenious, hair clip, that held her long hair up and off her shoulders and out of her face, but in a way that made it look like she’d spent hours wrapping it. She’d eyes some jewelry, but opted out, as it was easy to steal, and tempting as well. She had picked up one thing though, and it sat in her satchel beside the can of soup. From the looks of it, she wasn’t the only one who’d spent the afternoon shopping, as many of the Ravagers in the Wreck were showing off new duds, studs, and flash. 

“Well now, look at that,” Oblo was showing off his new rifle outside the Wreck as blasters and such were not allowed in. 

“Just got it,” Oblo said. “Had it made to specks.” He began reciting the special modifications he’d had added to the rifle, but Abby didn’t understand any of it. She started in and Fencel snagged her arm. 

“Come here with me!” She giggled. Her face was all pointed with shimmering gold and striking crimson. Abby was momentarily reminded of the parties her masters would throw, where all the slaves would be painted in them. Only this was different, everyone here, male and female, seemed to be doing it for themselves, to show off and look their best. Fencel dragged her into one of the bathrooms and held out the gold stick she’d obviously used to paint streaks on her eyes and cheeks. “I love whet you did to your hair!”

“It’s this contraption,” Abby reached up and twisted it, and her hair fell down around her shoulders. Fencel looked it over and tired it on her own hair. With a simple upsweep and twist, the spidery looking device spun itself and Fencel’s hair was now in a voluptuous up-do. She tugged a few strands out and looked at it in the mirror. 

“I’m in love!” She said. 

“Keep it, I got two,” Abby grabbed out the other one, and parted her hair with it, then clipped it on. It swept her hair up and over, rolling it into a lovely wave effect. 

“You’ll have to show me that one,” Fencel said. “But here, let’s streak your eyes with this and your hair! Gold all around!”

Abby laughed as she and Fencel played with the makeup sticks Fencel had bought. More people from other Ravager crews wandered in and over. Fencel introduced the ones she knew, and soon there was a whole gaggle of them marking their exposed skin and faces. Abby wiped her third experiment with the paints off her face and settled a simple highlight of her eyes and deep crimson on her lips. She liked the effect and winked at Fencel. Fencel had gone all out and looked like an exotic warrior goddess on the hunt. 

“Oblo’s gonna forget his name,” Abby said when Fencel winked at her. 

“He does that anyway,” They laughed and left the bathroom arm in arm.


	21. Chapter 21

“You over yer pity party?” Tullk asked as he sat down at Kraglin’s table. He slid a drink over to Kraglin. 

“I owe you one.” Kraglin rubbed his chin and glared at Tullk before taking the drink. “Where’s Abby?” 

“IN the bathroom with Fencel,” Tullk jerked a thumb at the back of the bar. “Something about paint?” 

“Huh,” Kraglin sipped the sharply flavored ale and sighed. “Captain and I might get drinks later.” He said looking at the mug. Tullk grinned with a wink. 

“Guess I’ll be keeping Abby company tonight then,” he leaned over the tabled and Kraglin grabbed his shirt with an unfriendly grin. 

“I think we’ll be keeping her company tonight, she’s caused enough problems as it is, time she paid up fer that.” He let a frowning Tullk Go as Oblo walked over. He eyed them both, then sat down without an invitation.

“The women are all in the bathroom painting themselves gold and crimson,” He stated, looking between Kraglin and Tullk. 

“Are they then,” Tullk sat back adjusting his shirt and not looking overly happy about it. 

“Yup, some new makeup and body paint floating around town, something Stakar’s crew had snagged from some fancy spa supply ship. Can’t wait to see what they come back looking like,” Oblo sipped his ale like nothing was out of the ordinary. Kraglin took his own sip of ale. His nerves were still on edge, and he wasn’t positive drinking was the best way to deal with it, but it was the choice he’d made. 

“Well looks like yer gonna get yer wish,” Tullk fabricated a smile and Kraglin turned to look behind him. Abby and Fencel were walking their way making the strangest couple he’d seen in a while. Fencle made him look short. Abby looked like a child beside her. The juxtaposition of their heights momentarily hid the true transformation of Abby's appearance from him.

She was dressed in crimson and black, and it hugged her form like well-fitted clothes should. Her hair was swept up in a complicated tumble of silky black locks with gold highlights from the paint. Her eyes looked exotic with the gold paint on them, and the deep crimson of her lips made him form a fist under the table. If things went south with her and the captain tonight, he had plenty of ammunition to entertain himself. 

“Memorizing,” Tullk said. “Is it a Terran thing? Cause I could use me one of those. I can pass for Terran, maybe I should go visit Earth for a bit?” 

“She’s too short,” Oblo said. “A woman should tower over her man.”

“Good for you,” Tullk said with a patronizing pat. “You gone and landed yourself a mountain then.”

“Fuck off Tullk,” Oblo grunted, “At least I get laid.” Kraglin opened his mouth to say something, then just kept staring. Oblo made a lusty groan and stood to look up at his woman. 

“I think he likes it,” Abby said and the two shared a giggle. Fencel ran a finger under Oblo’s chin and raised a golden eyebrow. 

“Well?” she cooed. 

“What else did you paint gold?” He asked on an exhale. 

“Want to find out?” She turned and sashed away, Oblo turned back to the table, flipped both men off, and wandered after his woman. Abby laughed and took his place at the booth. 

“That’s the last we’ll see of them all night,” She laughed. Kraglin just found himself busy drinking his beer, Tullk said something in his native tongue and chuckled. 

“Is that what you’ve been doing for the last hour or so?” He asked, “Painting yourself up?”

“Well, it started as just Fencel and me, then all the others came in, and then we were all painting each other in one big orgy,” Abby said, catching a server and asking for the fried tubers she was so fond of. “I probably had myself painted up five different ways before I settled on this. Figured I wanted to be in the spirit of things, and not the spirit *of* things.”

Tullk looked like he was imagining what it must have been like to be in the painting orgy, made a face that clearly said he was sad he’d missed it, and threw back the rest of his drink. 

“Where’s the captain?” She asked as her fires arrived and more drinks were ordered. 

“Still on the ship,” Kraglin said steeling one of her fries. “Said he had some books to keep and he’d be down later. Told me to wait up.” She nibbled on the fry and both men watched her expectantly. She eyed them suspiciously. 

“What?” She said the fired stick of tuber just inches from her lips. 

“That’s a very lovely color on you,” Tullk said, then smiled. She rolled her eyes and ate her fry. Kraglin smirked behind his mug as she had a moment with the frys and Tullk arched an eyebrow at him. They both chuckled. 

“What is so damn funny?” She asked, looking perturbed. 

“Nothing darling, Just watching ya eat that’s all.” Kraglin saluted her with his mug. There must have been something in his face that gave him away because she blushed, and looked back down at her frys. It was going to be an interesting night, Kraglin decided. One way or the other, some shit was getting settled, and he was going to have his say, and if he got to tease Abby until Yondu made it down to the bar, so much the better.


End file.
